Former Kerry footballer Mikey Sheehy has criticised the role RTÉ’s The Sunday Game had in highlighting the incident that could see Paul Galvin hit with an eight-week ban.
Galvin appeared to ‘fish-hook’ Cork’s Eoin Cadogan during their Munster Senior Football Championship quarter-final replay last Sunday, but the Kerry player received no punishment during the game.
The GAA's Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) are now proposing the suspension after asking referee Pat McEnaney to review his decision on the matter.
Sheehy admitted on RTÉ's Morning Ireland that people in the Kingdom would be annoyed by the way the highlights programme dealt with the issue.
‘There would be a lot of anger over it. I know these guys have a job to do. If you look at the likes of Colm O’Rourke who is a fantastic analyst, Anthony Tohill who is another good analyst, they are two high-profile guys.
‘People are going to listen to their comments.
‘They highlighted that particular incident and they also made reference to Graham Canty’s tackle on Paul when he was introduced.
‘But they were a couple of other incidents in the game that I felt should have been highlighted and there is no doubt that the CCCC certainly were watching this and asked Pat McEnaney.’
Sheehy continued: ‘There was certainly pressure put on Pat McEnaney, there is no doubt he is the best referee in the game.
'If Pat McEnaney was happy with what happened during the game, I felt it should have been left at that.
‘He was quite close to the incident when it happened and it was difficult for him to make a call. His linesman was quite close to it and he didn’t even deem it to warrant a yellow card.’
The Kingdom now face the prospect of being without Galvin for the Munster final against Limerick on 4 July and a potential All-Ireland quarter-final.
Sheehy believes it is a huge blow to Jack O’Connor’s side and said: ‘I’d say they are devastated really. I think it is an awful blow to Paul. He was player of the year last year and rightly so. We saw the impact he had on the two games.
‘I suppose there was a bit of baggage from the National League game when both of them were sent off for a bit of a handbag incident.
‘I think he is suffering because of previous misdemeanours, or so called misdemeanours.’
