Jeff Hendrick and Harry Arter have leapt to the defence of Richard Keogh following his sacking from Derby County on Wednesday.
The defender was shown the door at Pride Park after he decided not to accept an offer of reduced wages in order to stay at the Championship club.
He sustained serious injuries at the end of a team-bonding night last month, suffering knee ligament damage that is likely to keep him on the sidelines for more than a year. He has 14 days to appeal against the decision.
Keogh, 33, was in the back seat of Tom Lawrence’s car when it crashed into a lamp post after the night out on September 24.
But former Republic of Ireland team-mates claimed on Twitter he had been the victim of mis-justice by the Rams.
Arter, on loan at Fulham from Bournemouth, said: 'So the one left unconscious in the car and not arrested gets sacked.'
Hendrick, who also played with Keogh at Derby for four years, retweeted his international team-mate and echoed his sentiments by saying: 'Agree. Talk about kicking a man (the captain) while he is down instead of helping him through this physically and mentally tough time.'
In a statement on Wednesday night, Derby wrote: ‘Derby County Football Club has completed the disciplinary hearing regarding Richard Keogh in respect of his involvement in the events of Tuesday, September 24th.
‘As a result of that process, Mr Keogh has had his contract terminated with immediate effect for gross misconduct. He has the right of appeal within 14 days.
‘As we have said from the outset, the Club will not tolerate any of its players or staff behaving in a manner which puts themselves, their colleagues, and members of the general public at risk of injury or worse, or which brings the club into disrepute.’
Lawrence, the Wales forward, and team-mate Mason Bennett were fined, banned from driving for two years and ordered to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work for their part in the car crash, which happened on the A6.
The pair appeared in court on October 15 after being charged with drink driving. Derby also fined Lawrence and Bennett six weeks’ wages each.
Keogh had been at Derby since July 2012, joining from Coventry in a deal worth about £1million.
He had made more than 300 appearances for the Rams and led them last season when they reached the Championship play-off final.
It is now probable that the Professional Footballers’ Association will become involved in the matter as Keogh considers his options, ahead of a long road back to fitness.