David Moyes's staggering fall from grace continues.
Three years ago this month he was the heir apparent to Alex Ferguson, tasked with leading Manchester United into a new era.
He'd done the grafting at Everton, and this was his chance to bring his career to elite levels. It's not an exaggeration to say he was taking on the biggest job in football at the time.
Two sackings, a relegation and a resignation later, it's hard to know where Moyes can go next.
After seeing his Sunderland side drop to the Championship without a fight, he's chosen to walk away from the Black Cats, just one year into a four year deal.
A statement from chairman Ellis Reid says: "I pursued the services of David Moyes for a considerable period prior to his appointment last summer, which makes the announcement of his departure difficult for everyone concerned.
"Having worked tirelessly throughout the campaign to avoid relegation from the Premier League, David has chosen to leave the club without compensation, which is testament to his character.
"In the days ahead we will take some time for reflection, and then focus on recruitment and pre-season as we prepare for our Championship campaign. We wish David well in the future."
Keeping perennial strugglers like Sunderland in the Premier League was always going to be a difficult task, but the manner of their fall doesn't reflect well on Moyes. His signings were uninspiring, relying on a number of his former Everton and Manchester United leftovers to make a difference. His body language and his comments were consistently negative. He seemed doomed from day one.
The only credit you can give him is that he actually had the balls to take on the job in the first place. After his public humiliation at Manchester United, he initially tried to rebuild his career by going where very few British managers have gone before; outside Britain. His spell at Real Sociedad may have ultimately ended in another sacking, but his enthusiasm for the game seemed to be back.
After Sam Allardyce left Sunderland for England last summer, he left behind him a job that wasn't particularly enticing. Moyes took on the challenge, but within weeks you could see his spirit dropping back down to his Manchester United levels.
The longer it went on the worse it got, culminating in an FA charge for threatening to slap a female reporter if she continued with a particular line of questioning. A few days later, defeat to Bournemouth confirmed their relegation.
At the time, Moyes said he would think about his future, and just over three weeks later he's decided to walk away, leaving both he and Sunderland at a crossroads. Sunderland can look at relegation as a fresh start, and a chance to clear out the dregs. However, it's hard to see where Moyes can go next.
