Cris Carter departs Fox Sports under mysterious circumstances

Former Vikings receiver and Hall of Famer Cris Carter is no longer employed by Fox Sports, though the reason is both unclear and described by at least one report as "serious."

The Big Lead reports that Carter "cleaned out his desk at Fox Sports under supervision of security," adding detail to sports media reporter John Ourand's reporting from earlier Thursday that included only a short statement from Fox confirming Carter's departure.

Carter worked on the shouty talking heads FS1 show "First Things First," and had been suspended from that show pending an investigation, per TBL.

The New York Post's Andrew Marchard wrote: While there have been reports that Carter was miffed about not being a part of Fox's "Thursday Night Football" studio show, that is not the reason he was let go. He may have been upset about not having a role on TNF, but sources said the matter at hand is more serious. The exact nature of the disagreement is unknown at this time. Carter could not be immediately reached for comment.

Carter had 1,004 of his 1,101 career receptions with the Vikings from 1990-2001 and last played in the NFL for the Dolphins in 2002. He was with ESPN for nearly a decade before joining Fox in 2017.