This past Thursday, November 7, Fox Sports 1 announced the immediate departure for one of the faces of the network, NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter. Carter has been a member of the network since December of 2016, following an eight-year tenure with the network’s main rival, ESPN. Six months in his tenure with the network, Carter, and journalist Nick Wright and moderator Jenna Wolfe of NBC fame, was announced to become the network’s first-morning tv program called, “First Things First,” which would air every weekday at 6:30 AM EST. The show launched in September of that year with the three.
Carter’s career with FS1 took a nasty turn this NFL season, as, according to reports, he was upset with the network choosing another former Hall of Famer, Tight End Tony Gonzalez, to be an analysis on the network’s Thursday Night Football coverage. Gonzalez has been with the network since May of 2017 after a short tenure with the CBS football program.
The straw that broke the camel’s back was an intense, emotional meeting between Carter and his bosses at the network. At that point, Carter was suspended indefinitely from the air, showing that his days at the network were limited.
According to Ryan Glasspiegel of The Big Lead, Carter was escorted out by security after having his desk cleaned out to the building. Currently, another football player has taken Carter’s spot on the morning show he co-host. Former NFL defensive lineman Chris Canty has taken Carter’s spot across from Nick Wright and Jenna Wolfe over the past week and a half since Carter’s original suspension. It has yet to be determined whether or not if Canty will be replaced full time.
During his NFL career, Carter was one of the most prolific wide receivers of his time, famous for his reliable hands and one-handed catches. After three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, drug issues forced head coach Buddy Ryan to cut Carter from the team, where he was signed and rehabbed his off the field issues with the Minnesota Vikings. He became the first player to have multiple seasons with at least 120 or more catches. In 1998, Carter became a mentor to rookie receiver Randy Moss, who had his own off the field issues. Together, the two became one of the most dynamic tandems in history and his Vikings team set offensive records. In 2013, Carter was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
