Possibly driven off by a wild basement bear, Cablevision COO Tom Rutledge has announced that he's resigning from the company. Rutledge left Time Warner Cable to join Cablevision in 2002, and has been the company's COO since 2004. Cablevision says they've begun their search for Rutledge's replacement, and in the interim has "an experienced senior management team in place."

"I have spent my entire working life -- 34 years -- in the cable industry, but my decade at Cablevision will always stand out because of the things we were able to achieve and the value we were able to deliver to customers in the most competitive market in the nation," said Rutledge in a departing statement.

Rutledge's resignation comes just a few weeks after the surprise resignation of John Bickham, Cablevision's president of cable communications. The sudden departures of two top executives will likely refuel the never ending (yet never materializing) Time Warner Cable sale rumors.