But ... Gordon Taylor insists the players' union will support the disgraced footballer.
The shamed Wigan striker was given an 18-month prison sentence for sexual assault and actual bodily harm after punching a 20-year-old female student in the face in a nightclub.
Taylor, chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association: "Everybody in life can have big problems to face and this is probably his biggest and I hope he's able to overcome it and if he needs help to get his life back on track I assure you we'll be there for him.
"We will be pleased to give any of our members who has got problems support to get his life and his career back on track.
"We have a known record for that. I think we've got almost 50 cases in the past few years where such help has been requested and been given and for the most part we're pleased to say it has been successful."