Dublin corner back Philly McMahon has spoken about the on-field sledging he received following the death of his older brother John in 2012.
The five-time All-Ireland winner was on the Late Late Show to talk about his upcoming book The Choice about his relationship with his brother, who died at the age of 31 after a long battle with heroin addiction.
McMahon detailed how his brother first fell into drug addiction in his mid-teens and spoke about the embarrassment he felt about having a brother stuck in that spiral.
On the show, McMahon disclosed that he had been sledged on the field over the death of his brother.
McMahon was unwilling to specify the year when it happened because viewers might be able to guess the identity of the player and insisted that he doesn't believe the person who said it meant it. He also acknowledged that he isn't shy about dabbling in some sledging himself.
Dublin footballer @PhillyMcMahon on why it was so important for him to open up about what happened to his late brother John #latelate pic.twitter.com/be8zpi4r9R
— The Late Late Show (@RTELateLateShow) October 13, 2017
But he said that the sledging he received, far from affecting him, inspired him to play better.
"I won't say the year because people will start putting two and two together.
"I was playing. I was marking a guy and he felt that saying my brother overdosed and he was a junkie would affect my game.
"But ultimately, it empowered me. And actually I played a very good game that day. We won and I can't even tell you if I scored or not.
"We all make mistakes and I'm sure that person - it just happened in that minute and he said it - but I don't think he meant it.
"But essentially John was with me when he said that to me."
