UPDATE: Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerome "The Bus" Bettis confirmed Sporting News' exclusive story that he's out at ESPN.

While not directly addressing the layoffs at ESPN, the likable Bettis on Monday thanked the network for his four years.

A special thank you to my @espn family for giving me a platform to share my passion for football.. pic.twitter.com/X050llS3W5 — Jerome Bettis (@JeromeBettis36) May 8, 2017

It was an "honor" to work at ESPN, added the former Steelers running back in another tweet.

..It has been an honor to represent the sport I love on such a prestigious network. — Jerome Bettis (@JeromeBettis36) May 8, 2017

Bettis is widely recognized as one of the most personable and friendly NFL personalities. But he has lost two big TV jobs, at ESPN and NBC Sports, since 2009.

Look for The Bus to possibly resurface at NFL Network.

PREVIOUS: More bad news out of ESPN: Jerome Bettis is out as an NFL analyst, sources told Sporting News on Sunday.

The Pro Football Hall of Famer lost his gig as part of ESPN's recent layoff of 100 analysts, anchors and online writers, said sources. Among the big names who have lost their jobs: Trent Dilfer, Ed Werder, Danny Kanell, Jayson Stark, Britt McHenry, Marc Stein, Andy Katz and Jade McCarthy.

ESPN declined to comment on Bettis' dismissal. Bettis could not be reached for comment.

ESPN LAYOFFS: Updated list of biggest names let go

Nicknamed "The Bus," Bettis joined ESPN in 2013. He appeared on "NFL Live" and "SportsCenter" as well as ESPN Radio. Before joining ESPN, Bettis worked for NBC Sports and NFL Network.

The NFL's sixth all-time leading rusher stepped right into a TV job with NBC after his Steelers won Super Bowl 40 in his hometown of Detroit in 2006. NBC opted not to renew Bettis' contract in 2009, replacing him with Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison on its "Football Night in America" pregame show.

About 75 of the 100 laid-off ESPNers have announced via social media that they're leaving. That leaves another 20 or so like Bettis who, so far, have not commented publicly.

ESPN could have made things simple by releasing all the names at once on April 26, but the company decided internally to let the outgoing talent, many of whom have worked for ESPN for decades, break the bad news publicly themselves if and when they were ready.

MORE: ESPN anchor returns from maternity leave, finds out she's laid off

That means names could continue to dribble out for weeks, extending the cycle of layoff news stories, but ESPN decided that was the right thing to do.

While the remaining names like Bettis' gradually emerge, ESPN is not sitting back. It's reorganizing its talent lineup to focus more on digital and multiplatform performers. The company continues to announce new hires and contract extensions. It just hired Emmy-winning journalist Stefano Fusaro, and it announced contract extensions with Julie Foudy, Adam Amin and Dari Nowkhah.

It also is poised to publicly announce Mike Greenberg's new solo morning show at its annual upfront presentation to advertisers in New York on May 16.