Footballers seem to follow different rules to the rest of us, just like their managers, they can be fired and just simply move on to another club.
Ron Atkinson is a case in point. He did and said whatever he wanted as a player and manager. But when he forgot to turn the mic off as a television pundit, that was it, bang gone never to be heard from again. I doubt he could get a job as the back end of a horse of donkey in a panto.