List of things that Tyrone have never done

[Il Bomber Destro]

Kevin Cassidy has revealed that the Donegal minor player said to have been on the receiving end of what his county manager Declan Bonner described as "toxic" sledging from Tyrone opponents bears "no grudges" and "wanted the whole matter to go away."

Cassidy is a Gaoth Dobhair clubmate of the Donegal player in question, as well as having been good friends with the players' deceased father, and insists that he "wanted to find out the facts" before commenting on the matter, which he does in his exclusive column in today's Gaelic Life.

"I want to make it clear that the young lad in question holds no grudges and wanted the whole matter to go away as he understands the consequences that it could have for him in the lead up to their next Championship game.

"He is also aware of the impact it could have on those being accused of this which has been largely out of his control as he hasn't spoken to anyone about the incident."

The former Donegal star was also hugely critical of the handling of the incident by the Donegal camp, expressing his disappointment that it had got into the public domain in the first instance.

"The whole thing was wrongly handled from the off. If something is said on the field play and a player is unhappy with what has been said then it should go through the proper channels to ensure that it is dealt with appropriately instead of being dragged through the media."

[longballin]

Teamtalk is like a self appointed spokesman for Tyrone GAA and not for the first time was way out on their 'facts'...

Teamtalk are not a "self appointed spokesman". They are a core of people with a passion for GAA, mainly at club level, who promote it across the county through match updates and weekly radio commentary from selected club games, and often weekly radio chat shows, and who run an annual club all-stars banquet to honour club footballers. All in all, they are a resource that club people in any other county would kill to have and they deserve continued support.

They do all that which is a great service. Then they break these stories on some sort of hearsay which does Tyrone GAA no favours. Should have waited to see the official outcome instead of stirring up a row with Donegal again as they refute the Teamtalk story.

[screenexile]

No I highlighted what you said - the stance when people say 'he didn't cover himself in glory' conveys to me a message that whilst the way he went about it might have been flawed he was still right in what he was saying!

Whole thing stinks and the people in the wrong are getting off the hook!!!!

So you know for a fact nothing was said?! Were you standing right in front of the young Tyrone lad when he was alleged to have said it?!

Bottom line is it's one word against another and Teamtalk have jumped the gun here bigtime and incorrectly! They've used quotation marks "did not take place" to make out it's a fact, suggesting that they are quoting directly from the Ulster Council statement which hasn't been released yet!!

At the end of the day we all agree Bonner shouldn't have run to the media with it and should have went through the proper channels as it was a horrible experience for both lads but tat doesn't mean it didn't happen!

[WT4E]

I meant he didn't do a good job. I thought that was a commonly understood phrase?

I do think it's understandable in a certain context, if he felt it really happened and was really angry about it. But I don't think he was right.

Lets not get into the definition debate IMO I just think its put in a way to soften the blow for someone who you agree was totally in the wrong!!!

[AZOffaly]

Sorry, now, but you're the one that pulled me up on it because you defined it a certain way You can't tell me not to get into the definition of the phrase, when it means I think he was wrong, and you pulled me up because you thought I was saying he was right

[WT4E]

No I highlighted what you said - the stance when people say 'he didn't cover himself in glory' conveys to me a message that whilst the way he went about it might have been flawed he was still right in what he was saying!

Whole thing stinks and the people in the wrong are getting off the hook!!!!

So you know for a fact nothing was said?! Were you standing right in front of the young Tyrone lad when he was alleged to have said it?!

Bottom line is it's one word against another and Teamtalk have jumped the gun here bigtime and incorrectly! They've used quotation marks "did not take place" to make out it's a fact, suggesting that they are quoting directly from the Ulster Council statement which hasn't been released yet!!

At the end of the day we all agree Bonner shouldn't have run to the media with it and should have went through the proper channels as it was a horrible experience for both lads but tat doesn't mean it didn't happen!

Where did I say I knew for a fact it didn't take place?

[muppet]

No I highlighted what you said - the stance when people say 'he didn't cover himself in glory' conveys to me a message that whilst the way he went about it might have been flawed he was still right in what he was saying!

Whole thing stinks and the people in the wrong are getting off the hook!!!!

So you know for a fact nothing was said?! Were you standing right in front of the young Tyrone lad when he was alleged to have said it?!

Bottom line is it's one word against another and Teamtalk have jumped the gun here bigtime and incorrectly! They've used quotation marks "did not take place" to make out it's a fact, suggesting that they are quoting directly from the Ulster Council statement which hasn't been released yet!!

At the end of the day we all agree Bonner shouldn't have run to the media with it and should have went through the proper channels as it was a horrible experience for both lads but tat doesn't mean it didn't happen!

Where did I say I knew for a fact it didn't take place?

Teamtalk strongly suggested that Tyrone, Donegal & Ulster GAA were about to issue statements refuting the claims.

Teamtalk couldn't have been more wrong regarding Donegal's statement.

Bonner should have stuck to process. But I can understand his anger and why it might have got the better of him. As AZOffaly said, if Donegal had lost, everyone would have painted a 'sour grapes' picture. But it is very unusual in GAA to hear complaints like that on the back of a win. People would need to feel very strongly about something for their emotions to demote a Championship win in favour of another issue.

[Conallach]

This is a sad thread.

I'd just like to co-sign Kevin Cassidy's comments above, and also express disappointment in the posters on page 12 whose misplaced triumphalism only reveals ignorance of the specific incident, and more importantly of the nature of cases of any nature, built on verbal evidence.

[Conallach]

Ah feck it, I'll post twice 

The most important thing to remember is that both were minors at the time, although turning 19 hardly places a period on one of the most confusing periods of your life. The incident in question took place last summer, and for the participants in question that's where it should (and by all accounts if they are left to their own devices, will) stay. No one verbal incident in the messy minefield that is pre-A Level or Leaving Cert life, no matter how harsh an utterance, should follow someone around this long or further. Plainly, I'm sure all lessons that will be learned are learned by now, and please allow them to get on with their lives.

Meanwhile, while the adults in the case may have acted with the best of intentions, this isn't senior football, and more importantly these aren't senior footballers. A duty to protect your team is absolutely secondary to your duty to protect each individual under your care, just as your desire to protect your home county from having their name sullied or sport from nefarious activities is secondary to affording privacy to children who may require it.

[AZOffaly]

Here's the official statement. Fair to say Teamtalk have somewhat exaggerated the outcome. It's a fan site, and people should be careful about quoting it.

http://gaeliclife.com/counties/ulster-gaa-to-keep-sledging-findings-confidential/?fb_ref=Default

"We would also highlight that recent media reports regarding the investigation do not accurately reflect the findings of the Committee."

[screenexile]

Teamtalk should also be careful of what they quote... they had quotes in their article which actually quoted nothing.

It will be interesting to hear their reply!!

[AZOffaly]

If you juxtapose this comment from Teamtalk

"Teamtalk has this evening learned that a series of allegations attributed to Tyrone minor footballers during the championship game against Donegal, "did not take place" according to Ulster GAA."

with this one from the Ulster Council

"We would also highlight that recent media reports regarding the investigation do not accurately reflect the findings of the Committee."

Then it's not good for Teamtalk. And it's only going to reopen old wounds, which is very silly by them.

[AZOffaly]

Ah feck it, I'll post twice 

The most important thing to remember is that both were minors at the time, although turning 19 hardly places a period on one of the most confusing periods of your life. The incident in question took place last summer, and for the participants in question that's where it should (and by all accounts if they are left to their own devices, will) stay. No one verbal incident in the messy minefield that is pre-A Level or Leaving Cert life, no matter how harsh an utterance, should follow someone around this long or further. Plainly, I'm sure all lessons that will be learned are learned by now, and please allow them to get on with their lives.

Meanwhile, while the adults in the case may have acted with the best of intentions, this isn't senior football, and more importantly these aren't senior footballers. A duty to protect your team is absolutely secondary to your duty to protect each individual under your care, just as your desire to protect your home county from having their name sullied or sport from nefarious activities is secondary to affording privacy to children who may require it.

This is a good post, and it should also apply to Teamtalk, who seem to be the only ones who are trying to reopen it.

[WT4E]

Teamtalk should also be careful of what they quote... they had quotes in their article which actually quoted nothing.

It will be interesting to hear their reply!!

You should also be careful about putting words in peoples mouth. I see you never came back to me when I questioned where I had said that I knew for a fact that it didn't take place!!!!

[WT4E]

Here's the official statement. Fair to say Teamtalk have somewhat exaggerated the outcome. It's a fan site, and people should be careful about quoting it.

http://gaeliclife.com/counties/ulster-gaa-to-keep-sledging-findings-confidential/?fb_ref=Default

"We would also highlight that recent media reports regarding the investigation do not accurately reflect the findings of the Committee."

Its fair to say then that we can take it that it is possible that Tyrone did nothing wrong as the report is to remain confidential (There wasn't much point in preparing a report then) All seems a bit pointless to me.

Declan Bonner away in the smoke yet again!