I made an edit, regarding a)

As i said, my gut feeling is that his career with M&S was over anyways - you'd be hard pressed hearing him playing the banjo on any of the recent 2 albums.

Yet, it's sad seeing him throwing the towel, for whatever reason.

I understand it's tough to stand up against an internet mob, but in my opinion this is just the tip of the iceberg regarding reasons for him to quit.