Fox Sports announced Thursday that it has parted ways with Cris Carter, co-host of the “First Things First” morning show on Fox Sports 1.

“Cris Carter is no longer with Fox Sports. There is no further comment at this time,” the network said in a statement.

Cris Carter

Carter, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013 after a standout career as a wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings, joined Fox Sports in December, 2016, and months later was given a prominent role on “First Things First,” Fox Sports’ attempt to siphon viewers away from ESPN’s morning-show audience. Carter previously had worked at HBO before joining ESPN in 2008.

Carter has not appeared on “First Things First” since Oct. 30 – former NFL player Chris Canty replaced him – and on Sunday, The Big Lead reported that Fox Sports had suspended him. Longtime sports-media reporter Michael McCarthy reported Monday that Carter had taken a leave of absence over his displeasure at being left off Fox’s “Thursday Night Football” pregame broadcast, which is filmed at the same Manhattan location as “First Things First.”

The New York Post’s Andrew Marchand, meanwhile, said Carter was not let go because of any “Thursday Night Football” dispute but rather because of something “more serious,” though Marchand said the exact nature of that issue was “unknown”

Carter has not commented. He has populated his Twitter feed with Bible verses in recent days.

Carter’s biography was still listed on Fox Sports’ media site early Thursday morning but was removed after the network announced his departure.

In May, The Associated Press reported that the ratings for “First Things First,” which airs from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Eastern, had increased by 30% over the past year, but it still only was averaging 61,000 viewers. “Get Up,” ESPN’s much-hyped morning show that partially overlaps with “First Things First,” was averaging just south of 350,000 viewers earlier this year.

Comments are not available on this story.