And it shouldn't immunize them from the consequences of their behavior. Can you point to any other employer who wouldn't fire someone who blatantly disregarded a key condition of employment (the CBA restriction against having guns on the premises) and then laughed and made jokes about it?
The act itself was grounds for dismissal. The further actions of Arenas only made it more obvious he doesn't get it or doesn't think it's worth complying.
Most employees are at-will. Arenas would have to have violated the terms of his contract to have the contract terminated. It appears that he has, but it's still up to the Wizards to take the steps to terminate the contract, and it won't happen without a fight. We're talking about close to a hundred million dollars here. If there's any fight to be had, they're gonna get it.
And when it comes to the NBA, players violate the rules all the time. Like I said earlier, I think Ron Artest's actions during and after The Brawl were more dangerous and damaging than Arenas' actions have been. Players do stupid and damaging things all the time. He's not the first. But when is the last time a player was banned from the NBA or any other professional sports league, especially a star player in his prime? It just doesn't happen. And considering the fact that more serious offenses have been committed without resulting in lifetime bans, I think it would be inordinate for Arenas to be banned. It might happen, but I think it would be overboard. (He might wind up in prison for the next five to twenty years, so it might be a moot point.)
And after that is settled, if the Wizards do successfully terminate his contract, and if he still wants to play in the NBA, are you telling me the 29 other NBA teams wouldn't touch him? If a team desperately in need of some talent could have the 29 year old former All Star Gilbert Arenas for the mid level exception, and there's no NBA suspension hanging over his head, he wouldn't get an offer? I find that incredibly hard to believe, especially in light of how quickly the Eagles snatched up Michael Vick.
I'm not trying to say that he shouldn't pay for his actions. I just think that the initial reaction from a lot of fans and media pundits has been "ban him from the league, he's a punk who doesn't get it", and I think that's doubtful to happen. He's made light of a very serious situation that he caused, he has a prior gun charge, is potentially facing another, and he didn't respond the way he should have initially... That's grounds for a lifetime ban? Not based on the way the NBA has historically handled knuckleheads. And let's not forget about all the philanthropy that has Gilbert Arenas' name behind it. His Scores for Schools program has generated over $400k in funds for DC area schools, and there's more.
All I'm saying about him is that, while he's guilty of incredibly poor judgment -- I'll say again that his actions rank pretty high on my "WTF were you thinking?!" scale -- he's not beating his wife and making it rain in night clubs and stuff like that. He should have to face the music, and he will, and it might cost him millions of dollars and even his career. He might do serious time. But I don't think he needs to be kicked out of the NBA. And if he does, then there are a ton of people that need to go with him.