Former City player McCarthy admits he would have been tempted to leave Tevez behind in Germany after the Champions League clash with Bayern Munich had he been in charge of the player.
He has backed City's decision to fine the Argentinian striker and hopes Tevez's actions do not set a precedent which could lead to other players adopting a similar stance.
McCarthy, who spent nearly three seasons with City, said: "Any other time, I wouldn't talk about anybody else's player. I'd say it is their problem.
"But I think it is a football problem if it is allowed to fester and, to happen again, it would be dreadful.
"It is bad for the game globally, not just Manchester City. We do have a responsibility as a football club, as a manager, as players, to people who watch it and pay fortunes.
"The ?1.2billion the Barclays Premier League generates every year all over the world, we have a responsibility to that and players do as well."
McCarthy added: "The suspension is the right course of action. It's a difficult one for the people at Manchester City handling it because you are damned if you do and damned if you don't.
"Everyone has got an opinion on it. It is a very visible high profile thing.
"What he did was completely wrong. I might have left him on the tarmac (in Germany) actually.
"You wouldn't want it to set a precedent where players can actually say they are not going to play.
"But what is the punishment? I don't know. They are very wealthy. Has it been coming, with the amount of money players get?
"It is something that has come out of the blue and has shocked everybody."
McCarthy admits the Wolves players he has spoken to felt Tevez was in the wrong with his alleged stance.
He said: "The couple of players I spoke to yesterday were disgusted by it and couldn't understand it.
"I would hate for other footballers to look at it and think 'I hope he gets away with that because I fancy doing that.'
"I don't think that is the case because generally footballers care about their profession and want to play."
Source: Team Talk
Source: Team Talk