Vikings great Cris Carter is no longer employed as a TV personality of FOX Sports.
“Cris Carter is no longer with Fox Sports. There is no further comment at this time,” FOX Sports said in a statement to John Ourand of Sports Business Journal.
It’s unclear if Carter was fired or walked away on his own, but the finality of the statement issued Thursday comes after a full week of Carter missing from “First Things First” and the TV network providing no reason why.
The Big Lead was the first to report Carter’s unexplained absence, which began last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday before carrying over to this week. Ex-Giants defensive back Chris Canty has been filling in for Carter alongside Carter’s co-hosts, Nick Wright and Jenna Wolfe.
Front Office Sports reported earlier this week that Carter had a “bad” blowup with network management because he hasn’t been included in Fox’s coverage of Thursday Night Football.
But the New York Post says Carter’s displeasure about Thursday Night Football isn’t why he’s out.
“He may have been upset about not having a role on TNF, but sources said the matter at hand is more serious. It is unknown at this time what the exact nature of the disagreement. Carter could not be immediately reached for comment.”
Instead, FOX has given former NFL stars Tony Gonzalez and Rob Gronkowski air time as analysts during Thursday Night Football pregame, halftime and postgame coverage.
Carter joined FOX Sports in 2016 after working with ESPN for nearly a decade. He played for the Vikings from 1990-2001 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013.
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