Chris “Mad Dog” Russo believes Molly Qerim left ESPN before her contract expired at the end of this year because she didn’t want to finish the year as a “lame duck” with a potential “demotion” on the horizon.

During an appearance on the “SI Media podcast” with Jimmy Traina this week, Russo explained that he was “shocked” by the “First Take” host’s abrupt departure last month — and he “assumed” she left “embarrassed” over the optics of exiting the popular show.

“I think she precipitated it. … I think, probably, she felt embarrassed,” Russo, who’s a regular analyst on “First Take,” said. “I didn’t talk to her about the specifics of why she decided as soon as it was in the Sports Business Journal, but that’s what I’m thinking — that she probably would have felt embarrassed if the world

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