Jamie Horowitz: Fox Sports fires top executive

LOS ANGELES – Jamie Horowitz, who oversaw programming and digital news operations for Fox Sports, was abruptly fired Monday after two years on the job.

The move was "fully warranted," Daniel Petrocelli, a lawyer for Fox Sports, said in a statement released Monday by the company. He didn't offer any specifics.

Fox Sports President Eric Shanks, in an email to employees announcing Horowitz's exit, alluded to a question of conduct. Fox Sports is an arm of media magnate Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox.

"Everyone at Fox Sports, no matter what role we play, or what business, function or show we contribute to, should act with respect and adhere to professional conduct at all times," Shanks' email said.

An attorney for Horowitz, who joined Fox Sports National Networks in May 2015 and served as president, immediately fired back.

"The way Jamie has been treated by Fox is appalling," attorney Patricia L. Glaser said in a statement. "At no point in his tenure was there any mention by his superiors or human resources of any misconduct or an inability to adhere to professional conduct."

Glaser said that Horowitz "performed in an exemplary fashion. Any slanderous accusations to the contrary will be vigorously defended."

In his statement, Petrocelli called her remarks "ill-informed and misguided."

During his Fox Sports tenure, Horowitz reoriented much of the programming to talk personalities, including Skip Bayless, and away from newsgathering.

Before moving to Fox, Horowitz had a brief tenure with NBC's "Today." He was with ESPN from 2006 to 2014 and with NBC Sports from 2000 to 2006.

In his email, Shanks said he will take on Horowitz's responsibilities, including programming, marketing and scheduling for channels FS1 and FS2, until a replacement is hired.