In the two weeks since she resigned from her role on First Take, Molly Qerim has remained out of the spotlight.
But we now know when her first post-ESPN appearance will be, with Qerim set to moderate a Q&A featuring UConn men’s basketball head coach Dan Hurley in Storrs on Wednesday, Oct. 1.
Taking place at UConn’s Student Union Theatre, the event will focus on the new book that Hurley co-authored with Ian O’Connor, “Never Stop: Life, Leadership, and What It Takes to Be Great.” A listing for the event associates Qerim with ESPN, indicating the appearance was likely set before her abrupt resignation from the Worldwide Leader earlier this month.
Two weeks later, there still haven’t been many public details regarding Qerim’s departure, other than that it came amid contract negotiations with the network. Speaking to The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch, ESPN president of content Burke Magnus indicated there wasn’t anything more to the story and that the two sides had already agreed that Qerim would no longer host First Take even if she remained with the company.
“There’s no controversy here. There’s no shoe that’s going to drop,” Magnus said. “She’s an awesome person. You know, it’s business. You try your best and we just weren’t totally aligned. I totally respect her interest, in rather than going into a less defined situation, to make a clean break and try to do other things outside of ESPN.”
At this point, it’s unclear what’s next for Qerim — aside from hosting a Q&A at her alma mater, which she had always proudly repped throughout her time on First Take. As for ESPN, Magnus said that the network will spend the next 30-45 days auditioning new hosts for its morning debate show before settling on a full-time replacement.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.