New York Jets superfan Fireman Ed, who for decades has fueled home crowds with his famous "J-E-T-S!" cheer, has decided to "R-E-T-I-R-E!"

Ed Anzalone, better known as Fireman Ed, has been a Jets fan since 1975. Debby Wong/US Presswire

Ed Anzalone, who created a stir Thanksgiving night when he left MetLife Stadium at halftime of the Jets' 49-19 loss to the New England Patriots and deleted his Twitter account, announced Sunday night that he no longer will attend home games as Fireman Ed.

The hits just keep coming for the 4-7 Jets, who became a national laughingstock with a mistake-filled performance on national TV.

Anzalone, in a guest column for Metro New York, explains that the Jets' poor season isn't the reason why he has decided to hang up his fireman's helmet. He writes he left the game because "confrontations with other Jets fans have become more common, even though most Jets fans are fantastic."

He says he also left early during the previous home game, a 30-9 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

Anzalone cites his loyalty to embattled starting quarterback Mark Sanchez as the cause of the confrontations.

"The stadium has become divided because of the quarterback controversy," he claims. "The fact that I chose to wear a Mark Sanchez jersey this year, and that fans think I am on the payroll -- which is an outright lie -- have made these confrontations more frequent. Whether it's in the stands, the bathroom or the parking lot, these confrontations are happening on a consistent basis."

Fireman Ed always used to wear No. 42 (Bruce Harper's old jersey), but he switched to Sanchez in a show of support. During the 2010 season, Anzalone, who rarely attends road games, flew to Pittsburgh and sat near the Jets' bench because he wanted to be there for the then-slumping Sanchez.