More Journalistic Sensationalist Bullshit...........

[ziggysego]

Not meaning to be funny or cruel but all you have to do is look at the photo of the boy to know he's not a successfull GAA player

Yeah.........

[Gnevin]

I heard he went go carting once , Was he also a Racing Car driver

[GalwayBayBoy]

In fairness lads when Eddie Van Boxtel was caught with drugs a month or two ago he was described as former league of Ireland soccer player Eddie Van Boxtel.

Their sporting feats are just a handy angle to use unfortunately.

[EugeneGeraghty]

In fairness lads when Eddie Van Boxtel was caught with drugs a month or two ago he was described as former league of Ireland soccer player Eddie Van Boxtel.

Their sporting feats are just a handy angle to use unfortunately.

Eddie Van Boxtel would be known for playing soccer so its a fair description. Nobody would know this fool played GAA unless stated

[AZOffaly]

In fairness lads when Eddie Van Boxtel was caught with drugs a month or two ago he was described as former league of Ireland soccer player Eddie Van Boxtel.

Their sporting feats are just a handy angle to use unfortunately.

Ah yeah but that's apples with oranges GBB. Eddie van Boxtel is a former LOI goalkeeper and I think played in England as well. There is a fair chance people would recognise him as such. That would be like if an Offaly footballer was caught, it would be hard saying that he shouldn't be identified as being a so called 'big name' GAA person.

In this case though, it's the equivalent of a big headline saying Gun Toting Soccer player, if the offender was actually togging out for Newport Town FC in the Limerick Leagues. And you don't see many of them.

This lads membership of Liffey Gaels is a very tenous reason to call him a 'successful GAA player' or even to mention the GAA at all, let alone in the headline.

It's horse shit.

[Zulu]

In fairness lads when Eddie Van Boxtel was caught with drugs a month or two ago he was described as former league of Ireland soccer player Eddie Van Boxtel.

Their sporting feats are just a handy angle to use unfortunately.

That's true enough, but Van Boxtel or Eddie Halvey are known (to a degree) for their sporting careers. This guy achieved nothing in the field of the GAA so to associate him with the organisation is a massive stretch IMO. In saying that we should simply ignore it, I'd probably have never heard of this only for lads here mentioning it. Newspapers will certainly continue to associate criminals with sports organisations if they believe that internet discussion boards dedicated to those sports will light up with indignant supporters each and every time. Don't buy the paper and don't add fuel to the flame they've lit on discussion boards like this.

[thejuice]

In fairness lads when Eddie Van Boxtel was caught with drugs a month or two ago he was described as former league of Ireland soccer player Eddie Van Boxtel.

Yes but is Eddie Van Boxtel a reasonably well known soccer player in the Irish league? Trevor Brunton is probably not that well known outside Liffey Gaels GAA circles. If Sean Og O'hAilpin or Alan Brogan or Henry Shefflin or Larry Reilly were caught dealing heroin and carrying guns I'd understand these headlines but not for some nobody, sorry grassroots....ahem player.

[GalwayBayBoy]

In fairness lads when Eddie Van Boxtel was caught with drugs a month or two ago he was described as former league of Ireland soccer player Eddie Van Boxtel.

Their sporting feats are just a handy angle to use unfortunately.

Eddie Van Boxtel would be known for playing soccer so its a fair description. Nobody would know this fool played GAA unless stated

I would say most people wouldn't have a clue who Eddie Van Boxtel was apart from league of Ireland fans and sports fans who may have heard of him. The general populace wouldn't know him from Adam.

Although I do agree that this guy is hardly a successful GAA player or even a well-known GAA player.

[Bord na Mona man]

Eddie Van Boxtel was the first keeper to save a penalty from Eric Cantona and played at the highest level of domestic soccer in Ireland. Given that he had played for Leeds and could have been a big bucks earner, then his fall from grace becomes all the more notorious.
He returns 29,000 hits in google, so he is hardly John Doe Anonymous!

When a guy operates near the bottom of the football divisions in Dublin, it is hardly worth mentioning the sporting connection. I know of a few criminals and fraudsters who you would have heard of that played GAA in Dublin...

[his holiness nb]

Once I read "succesful GAA player" in the same paragraph as "Liffey gaels" I stopped reading 

[Bud Wiser]

I am not going to try and defend the Indo, but they report on what they are given to report on.  The real culprits in most cases (I am not saying in this case because I was not at the court case) are the solicitors, some who have been GAA players themselves and are well known names who played at intercounty level and whose main area of business is defending criminals to the extent that they even get their own offices raided.

When they defend a thug/bank robber/drug dealer or other such scum they try and make the judge see a picture of a good guy who "has a partner with two small children, is involved with his local community and plays GAA" type of thing.  "Mr Bud Wiser was never in trouble before and this was a once off and he has been helpful by pleading guilty at an early stage, Mr Bud, cuts the grass at the local GAA club and plays for the over 50's and there is little chance of him reoffending" etc, etc.

Now, lets say that in this case, and this happens in a lot of cases, that the pinstripe has said in evidence submitted on behalf of his client that "He is a member of Liffey Gaels" and Liffey Gaels check their membership and find he is neither a member or a player, then said pinstripe should be reported to the Law Society who will readily admit that a few of their members are fairly dodgy and on the run at this moment. Providing false evidence, or wrong evidence that could be easily checked out before submitting it in court is a very serious offence for anyone to make. On the other hand, lets say that the defendent has a good job, it is fair enough to say that he is trustworthy and a good lad but you would see his employer coming to court and testifying to this on his behalf if such a submission were to be made.

This is not the first time, and it won't be the last that the GAA's name has been dragged down.  But don't just jump at the Independent . Nicky Brennan should write to the Bar Council and make a statement on the wireless that it is not permissable to use the name of the GAA in defence of anyone unless the statements presented in defense are first of all qualified by an officer of the club referred to.

[Pangurban]

Dont buy the Rag lads, you wont raise your blood pressure or contribute to the wealth of Sir Tony O Reilly who obviously is disappointed that he was not born in Britain among a better class of people. The truth is we do not have an Irish newspaper worthy of the name, they all purvey the world view as filtered through London. We should also be asking ourselves and others why the G.A.A. or any other organisation associated in the popular mind with an Irish Nationalist view or identity. is such a popular scapegoat and whipping boy with almost all sections of National Media. Along with the Catholic Church we have become one of the Bogey Men in modern Irish society. There is a real agenda here,being pushed by real people for a real purpose. Is it not time we started asking whose interests are media are serving. It is certainly not yours or mine.

[pintsofguinness]

Now, lets say that in this case, and this happens in a lot of cases, that the pinstripe has said in evidence submitted on behalf of his client that "He is a member of Liffey Gaels" and Liffey Gaels check their membership and find he is neither a member or a player, then said pinstripe should be reported to the Law Society who will readily admit that a few of their members are fairly dodgy and on the run at this moment. Providing false evidence, or wrong evidence that could be easily checked out before submitting it in court is a very serious offence for anyone to make.

The solicitor would only be in trouble if it was him that made it up and not the defendant.

Nicky Brennan should write to the Bar Council and make a statement on the wireless that it is not permissable to use the name of the GAA in defence of anyone unless the statements presented in defense are first of all qualified by an officer of the club referred to.

That's just silly bud.

[Hardy]

How come we never saw at the time of the outing of the Ansbacher account holders who appeared on Swindlers' List "Golf Club Members Accused of Tax Evasion"?

[Zapatista]

I am sick of all the Independent news group shit. I am sick of how the reporters and columnists for the group have no ethics and appeal to the lowest common factor. Anyone could be a reporter for them. In order to get a story printed in the Indo you simply make it negative and connect it to the IRA or the GAA. These people are lower than the people they report on. They gloat in damning Irish society and Irish people. They are almost solely responsible for our self loathing attitude and will not be happy until Irish people view Irish people and Irish ways as an embarrassment. The Independant news Group must be challenged everyday in every way. For our own sake we must let all their readers know that the Group are a disease to this country.