Bradley available for Derry
Paddy Bradley Glenullin
30 May 2007
The Dispute Resolution Authority has deemed that the Derry County Board did not follow the correct procedures in handing down a 12-week suspension to Paddy Bradley, thus freeing the ace attacker to line out against Antrim in Sunday's Ulster SFC quarter-final.
Bradley went to the DRA on Tuesday night after his appeals to the Derry County Board and Ulster Council against his 12 week suspension were unsuccessful. The All Star nominee was banned after an incident following a club game when he was alleged to have spoken out of turn to a referee.
The ban would have kept Bradley out of Sunday's Ulster opener against Antrim and a possible semi-final against either Monaghan or Down.
However, it is possible that the Glenullin man may not make the Oak Leaf team as he has not trained with the county since his suspension was handed down, rather preferring to train with his club.
The DRA deemed that the correct suspension procedures had not been followed through and have referred the case back to the Derry County Board, who could still decide that Bradley should at some late time serve the remainder of his ban.
Paddy Heaney must be fuming... NOT! ???
What rules weren't followed properly ? Is the ruling available ? Did the county board deliberately not follow the rules ?
delighted! watch out antrim...
This is complete bullshit. A ban is a ban and should be upheld. If I was from Antrim I would be ripping. Or Down in te next round!!
i cant believe it! this time last year there was an almighty row in a championship game in a between my own and another. they had about ten players banned for between 3 and 6 months. they were all lifted because the county board hadn't followed the correct procedure. what a joke!
Fergal Logan, should be banned from all GAA grounds for bringing the game into disrepute.
A few years ago new disciplinary procedures were introduced to try and stop these sort of nonsensical merry go rounds of sentencing - appeals - appeals - higher appeals - get off.
Its making a laughing stock out of the whole thing.
apparently the technicality was that someone was/wasn't (not sure which one it is) was in the room at the time of the hearing and they should/should not have been there...its a bit of a laughing stock...theres no doubt that it is of great benefit to derry but at the same time if he touches a ref he should still serve the minimum of 3 months at least.
QuoteThe All Star nominee was banned after an incident following a club game when he was alleged to have spoken out of turn to a referee.
I thought he hit the referee? Speaking out of turn to a ref, no matter what you might say, should not incur a 12 week ban.
This is a pity. After the realitively noble way in which Meath took their medicine over Brian Farrell, and a couple of other incidents in the league, we are now back to lads getting off on technicalities.
If Paddy Bradley brought the appeal against the Derry County Board, can Derry not drop him anyway?
OTB he was sent off during the match for verbal abuse and then at the final whistle he grabbed the referee around the collar area apparently to query the result...tr**p
did Fergal Logan represent him?
will be interesting to see what the Derry refs make of this. I heard that the reason the county board banned Bradley was that the Derry refs threatened to strike (no pun intended) if they let him off.
So Paddy Heaney's one man campaign to get the Glenullin Grump off his charges has worked.......now he can focus on part 2 of his campaign to get Ryan Mellon banned for life.
Glad to see that Paddy has such respect for the welfare of referees in his native county and indeed overall. The gist of his article being that everyone else gets off so why shouldn't we.....
Perhaps Paddy should, in his position as a well read (in the sense that people read his column, not the other way around) journo, have stood up for referees and acknowedeged that players cannot threaten / physically impinge on them.
Hopefully the next time Paddy steps out with the reserves Down referees will show a certain amount of kinship with thier Derry colleagues........
Tyroneman, as usual the preciuosness of Tyrone people comes to the fore. God forbid a journalist uses a current (present) example. In this instance it was the Ryan Mellon (non) suspension. Heaney explained how he wasn't using the article to 'get at' Tyrone - it's just that (like the diving thing) they are the best example to use!
LOL Will Hunting LMFAO
Now that I have that over me...LOL
Are you a clown?
yeah right will!
Judging by the rather coherent responses of Muzz and Neutral - you believe that the purpose of Heaney's article yesterday was to get Ryan Mellon banned for life?! Otherwise, what is so clown-like about my response?
Quoteit's just that (like the diving thing) they are the best example to use!
ur bitterness is truly palpable. lol
Just pointing out that Heaney wrote an article a number of weeks ago about the current diving malaise in our game - where he used Tyrone players as a primary example. How does this make me bitter??
Even as a fellow tyrone man i do have to admit that Tyrone and Mickey Harte definitely abuse the appeals system that is in place nearly every time a player is suspended. Harte also uses the media to his advantage when talking to Mr Heaney and the likes when he is pleading innocence for his players.
I just think Paddy runs out of things to say these days, but hes paid for words so he has to say something, but to even concur with his ridiculous sentiments - well it could even make a smart person look like a fool as they say.
Well another example of the spirit and rules of the game being run roughshod over so that a county player gets off for something no normal club player would get away with....
Something has to be done with the rulebook to stop this getting off on slight technicalities...Its this attitude which shows how honest and sporting counties/players who just accept a ban are like Brian Farrell in Meath...
Fair play to Bradley - no other county in Ireland would have banned him - there's abviously a lot more going on than we know about ! Club, county and family politics are at play here - and fair play to Fergal Logan, a Tyrone man getting a Derry man off the hook. Well done all round -
Could there be a withdrawl of services from referees refereeing the Derry games. That would be hateful.
Quote from: neutral on May 30, 2007, 02:46:41 PM
I just think Paddy runs out of things to say these days, but hes paid for words so he has to say something, but to even concur with his ridiculous sentiments - well it could even make a smart person look like a fool as they say.
I agree with what he is saying. Does it make me a fool if I concur with someone who infers that Tyrone are a good example of a team/organisation that does its best to get thier best players on the field despite suspensions being handed out?? I could go back to 2005 here to get you a few examples, or even April to look at how Mulligan somehow got off without the proper suspension after receiving 2 red cards in the NFL. Hardly ridiculous sentiments, but I suppose it depends how blind you are whilst wearing those white and red tinted spectacles!
Quote from: Stranworst on May 30, 2007, 12:34:58 PM
If I was from Antrim I would be ripping. Or Down in te next round!!
Aren't you forgetting something Stranworst?
To stop all the bickering lets think of it like this....
If the GAA set out rules that players/officals are suppose to follow and if they dont they get banned.
There is also guidlines how to follow the disciplinary process...like there is in any well established business with regards to disciplinaries.
IF COUNTY BOARD OR COUNCIL DOES NOT FOLLOW THE PROCESS AS PER THE RULES WHY SHOULD A PLAYER SERVE THE BAN?
Also...Mulligan got his red card withdrawn because a panel of GAA officals decided there was no intent on his part by sliding at the player. Anyone that was there realises the Mulligan slid in after the Mayo man was way past. How the GAA can say there was no intent when he slid in...I dont know. But the panel agreed on that.
In my eyes I don't see what the players are doing wrong by appealing...they may aswell. GAA officals are not following the correct process and lets not forget...players are not getting away with their tackles etc. they are getting cleared because the process was not being followed.
Lets fix the process so people follow the book when it comes to disciplinaries then there will be no appeals?
Agree???
I feel your pain Will. ::)
If you agree to be a member of an organisation i.e the GAA, you should abide by the decision that they make, right or wrong. If you dont like the way they govern the organisation then you shouldnt be a part of it.
'Tyroneman, as usual the preciuosness of Tyrone people comes to the fore'
As usual, Will's hatred of all things Tyrone comes to the fore ... count 'em ... TWO ... not one ... TWO!
Whatever it takes lads, whatever it takes. ::)
Don't see how you can castigate Bradley for going against the GAA.
The DRA is part of the GAA which he was entitled to go to.
The fault lies with the GAA rulebook completely, why wouldn't he appeal to the correct channels
It's a joke, but that's the GAA disciplinary process :-\
Quote from: red hander on May 30, 2007, 03:50:54 PM
'Tyroneman, as usual the preciuosness of Tyrone people comes to the fore'
As usual, Will's hatred of all things Tyrone comes to the fore ... count 'em ... TWO ... not one ... TWO!
"TWO" what?
And could you also please point out to me where on this thread I have displayed a "hatred of all things Tyrone"?
Quote from: ExiledGael on May 30, 2007, 04:03:53 PM
Don't see how you can castigate Bradley for going against the GAA.
The DRA is part of the GAA which he was entitled to go to.
The fault lies with the GAA rulebook completely, why wouldn't he appeal to the correct channels
It's a joke, but that's the GAA disciplinary process :-\
I agree wholeheartedly-how can you blame a player in trying every angle to get his suspension lifted-we would all do the same in similar circumstances.
However,it seems every time a ruling is challenged on a technicality,the defendant gets off....surely the committees who apply the rules ,either don't follow proper procedure,or the rules are not watertight enough to prevent such fiascos-.The GAA needs to address it's disciplinary procedures urgently---perhaps Fergal Logan is the man to consult in getting these rules sorted out.
On the subject of Fergal,I think it's ridiculous that people slate him for using his professional expertise to represent his clients!
The problem lies with the GAA disciplinary procedures or committees being open to legal challenge.
This will interest you, in the past yaer approximately 25 cases have come befroe the DRA, only 6 have been successfull in winning there appeals including Bradleys. :o :o
I think if paddys inocent hes entitled to get off. But the same Derry men seem to be criticising Tyrone for getting Paddy Bradley off. The GAA needs to employ feargal Logan to ringfence the rules and leave them watertight. That is and has been the obvious thing to do for over 2 years. As for the DRA they dont crush cases for nothing.
QuoteI agree wholeheartedly-how can you blame a player in trying every angle to get his suspension lifted-we would all do the same in similar circumstances.
I completely disagree with this, unless you are saying that he shouldn't have been suspended in the first place. In my opinion, if you are suspended because of something you did on the field (or off it), then you should be man enough to serve your suspension. This constant looking for loop holes is sickening to be honest.
The reason a lot of these cases are being upheld is that the rule book was written in a time when people took their punishment. Nowadays you'd want to be an absolute legal genius to formulate rules and suspensions that would be above challenge. The phrase the 'spirit of the law' is obviously dead and gone in a lot of places in the GAA.
In my view, and this has been mooted before, the GAA would be better off taking the gate receipts for two All Ireland finals and spending it on a crack team of barristers, ex-players and administrators and totally re-writing the rulebook in a totally, totally unambiguous way.
Just bring in a system like in the AFL...
Categories of indiscipline get certain punishment points....the points add up to equate to a suspension...acceptance leads to a reduction in points....appealing and losing leads to an increase in suspension....
and categorically no appeals allowed on minor technicalities - it totally demeans the spirit of the GAA and is as close to a professional approach as you can get for an amateur game...
Agree the systems needs overhaul, wherther we steal that from another sport I'm not sure.
The thing with Bradley was that he didn't feel the punishment was fair or relative to what he done, and very few people actually know thw truth of that, despute all the rumours
Dubsforsam's suggestion is the only thing that will work. As long as there are rules there will be loopholes. And as long as there are loopholes there will be lawyers - of the GAA variety or otherwise. I deplore the loophole/appeal mentality, but that won't make it go away. And that's not to excuse the shambolic procedures and frequent disregard or ignorance of procedure that makes it even easier for the loophole-seekers.
So the only thing for it is to provide a disincentive to appeal. We know it works – see the civil law for road traffic offences. Double the original penalty for any failed appeal and that will be pretty much the end of it.
if pb's suspension has been 'delayed' as such as it has been portrayed in the media does this mean that he could potentially have to serve the rest of his suspension later on in the year? could the possbility then arise that he could miss any of the latter stages of the club championship if the ban was reimplemented at around the times of say the quarter final or semi final? this would be a nightmare I imagine for PB if he could now play a few of the league stage championship matches but then potentially miss the qf or sf?
This decision makes a laughing stock of the Ulster Council as well as the Derry Competitions Control Committee.
Hopefully the referee will also seek legal advise on his alleged assault.
Quotecount 'em ... TWO ... not thirty-four ... TWO!
well, its good to see you awknoledge your place in the world Red hander
Quote from: AZOffaly on May 30, 2007, 04:54:40 PM
QuoteI agree wholeheartedly-how can you blame a player in trying every angle to get his suspension lifted-we would all do the same in similar circumstances.
I completely disagree with this, unless you are saying that he shouldn't have been suspended in the first place. In my opinion, if you are suspended because of something you did on the field (or off it), then you should be man enough to serve your suspension. This constant looking for loop holes is sickening to be honest.
The reason a lot of these cases are being upheld is that the rule book was written in a time when people took their punishment. Nowadays you'd want to be an absolute legal genius to formulate rules and suspensions that would be above challenge. The phrase the 'spirit of the law' is obviously dead and gone in a lot of places in the GAA.
In my view, and this has been mooted before, the GAA would be better off taking the gate receipts for two All Ireland finals and spending it on a crack team of barristers, ex-players and administrators and totally re-writing the rulebook in a totally, totally unambiguous way.
And the exact same thing will happen with the hurlers that were fighting at the weekend as well. Its the same old story year after year..but the GAA will always be run by the "we have to look after our lads mentality,no matter what they have done. There is no will to change anything except set up another toothless committee or two.
This decision certainly calls into question the competence of the Derry Co.Board and the Ulster Council. Disciplinary procedures are becoming farcical, but how could it be otherwise whrn many of the people tasked with enforcing the rules,spend more time attempting to circumvent them. Agree totally that a spurious appeal having been rejected should result in a longer ban for the time-waster
In my opinion, the point here is not what Bradley did. The majority of commentators on the case were not present, so very few people know what happened.
What evidence was the Derry county board, ulster board and DRA presented with?
Referees report and Bradleys views of what happened.
They all seemed to find him guilty of something.
I think that it is irrelevant whether he deserved the 12 weeks or not, the point is that the DRA did not uphold his appeal, they threw it out because the letter of the law was not followed. I think there is something seriously flawed with this procedure.
If i am done for drink driving, is it ok that i get off beacuse the cop didn't read the rights correctly or something???
QuoteIf i am done for drink driving, is it ok that i get off beacuse the cop didn't read the rights correctly or something???
If take a swig of vinegar and suck a penny then you won't have top worry about getting done........