Overview

• Qerim confirmed her decision in an Instagram statement saying she would “step away” and signed off with “Stay tuned.”
• Sports Business Journal reported ESPN offered a new contract that Qerim declined, prompting widespread industry reaction.
• She was absent from Tuesday’s broadcast as Smith opened the show with a tribute and temporarily assumed the host chair.
• ESPN content chief Burke Magnus praised her decade guiding the program and said the network respects her decision.
• Initial reports pointed to a year-end exit, but subsequent on-air comments and reporting indicate she will not return to the show.