Kurt Zouma was named in West Ham's starting line-up to face Watford on Tuesday night, despite his recent cat-kicking shame.
The French defender was condemned by his club, the RSPCA and other animal welfare groups after a video emerged of him dropping, kicking and slapping his pet cat.
Pundits Owen Hargreaves and Joe Cole, a former Hammer, weighed in on the startling decision made by David Moyes.
Speaking before the game with BT Sport, Cole said: 'From West Ham's perspective, I can see why they probably want to let it settle, get the game out of the way, and deal with it internally.