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Will leave a big hole.
I get and agree with your point. Anybody can wear a mascot suit.
The thing is, Jerry is part of the club. He's a much loved member of the Arsenal community. A friendly face to all the away travelling fans who know him. Popular with the kids. 20+ years of being an amassador. They could have put him on unpaid leave indefinitely instead.
It might be a fair business decision but its still one that sends a poor message to the fans. Especially the young gunners kids who grew up at the club seeing him every game.
Stonehedge-
Locally, even among non football types, there is considerable annoyance at what has happened. He was a fixture at local schools and kids parties and other community events. He was a means by which Arsenal reached out to the local community but like so much else, the local community don't matter as much as numbers of pay per view viewers across the world.
cliveo
One problem that Arsenal face is that when crowds are allowed back in, they will be hard pushed to find someone with the skills to take on the mascot role, particularly when the job security is seen to be so flimsy. Will leave a big hole.