A remarkable set of comments from the Mayo GAA secretary about media abuse and VAR.
Mayo GAA county board secretary Dermot Butler has lashed out at comments made by Mayo supporters, and GAA pundits following their All-Ireland SFC final defeat to Tyrone.
Butler, who was quoted in the Irish Independent, said that comments made about the players were ‘cowardly’, and questioned if they would be put to the players if they were seen in public.
Butler also stressed the need for the GAA to introduce VAR, after Eoghan McLaughlin was left with a broken jaw during their semi-final win against Dublin.
Mayo County Board secretary takes aim at ‘Cowards’.
Earlier this year, James Horan was forced to deny reports of a backroom team rift in Mayo after they lost to Tyrone in the Croke Park decider, sparking Butler’s rant at a Mayo GAA convention over the weekend.
“There is no justification for the abuse,” he said. “There were other people calling for James Horan’s head, others saying that Ciaran Mc and James Burke had walked away. God will we ever learn in this County?
“We went through 2021 retaining our Connacht title, we gained promotion and qualified for an All-Ireland Final but still some elements out there were not satisfied.
“What is remarkable is that these people claim to want the best for Mayo GAA but I seriously doubt that. It is very easy to set up a fake twitter account and abuse people from behind a “mask”.
“I have seen at first hand the personal sacrifices that these players have made, and it saddens me that people can react to the players in such a vile manner.
“I wonder how many of the so-called experts would say the comments they have posted to the faces of the players, I doubt if any of them would because they are cowards.”
VAR in the GAA?
While stressing the need for patience by the Mayo supporters, by refraining from social media abuse of players and staff, he also called on the GAA to introduce VAR.
That call was made after Dublin’s Small broke McLaughlin’s jaw in the final four clash at Croke Park – while taking issue with the officials on the day for missing the incident.
“How the referee didn’t issue Small with a straight red card is baffling. How his sideline official Maurice Deegan didn’t advise him on the seriousness of the tackle is also beyond belief,” he added.
“If ever there was an argument for “VAR” to be introduced into the GAA then this was it. Players should be protected from this type of behaviour.”
Read More About: Darragh Small, Dermot Butler, eoghan mclaughlin, mayo gaa
