Jay Mariotti took to Twitter in order to break his silence after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor domestic violence charge last Thursday, announcing his departure from FanHouse.com.

“Column writing has been a labor of love for 25 years, allowing me to see the world and cover some of the greatest athletes and events in sports,” Mariotti tweeted. “But it’s time to step back from the daily sportswriting grind and focus on my other media ventures, including a book project.”

Mariotti joined FanHouse.com in 2009 after resigning from the Chicago Sun-Times. His last column was published on Aug. 20, one day before his arrest in Venice, Calif.

“I express deep gratitude to AOL for a fun, productive experience,” said Mariotti. “I wish the talented staff at Fanhouse.com nothing but the best in the competitive Internet world.”

According to Sports By Brooks, ESPN has no plans to use Mariotti at this time, which appears to include his morning ESPN Radio show that was in the works with former NBA guard Jalen Rose.