ACCORDING TO REPORTS in two national newspapers yesterday, the Irish Sports Council’s Anti-Doping unit is investigating a Gaelic footballer after he tested positive for steroids.
The player in question — from Monaghan — is ‘a trial panellist’ with the county team who failed an out-of-competition test back in February, said a statement from the Gaelic Players Association.
GAA President Aogán Ó Fearghail was at RTÉ studios in Donnybrook yesterday for the launch of their 2015 Championship coverage. The42 was there too, along with other members of the media, and we put some questions to Ó Fearghail regarding the matter…
Were you disappointed to learn of the reports?
Aogán Ó Fearghail: “Well, it’s a process, it’s ongoing. That’s the most important thing. This is an ongoing process. I think it would be very unfair of me to make any particular comment on something that is an ongoing issue.”
Does something like this surprise you?
AÓF: “Very little surprises me in life. We have close to a million members in the GAA. Our players are volunteers, there’s no personal gain for any player. Things happen, but this is an ongoing process and that’s the most important thing to say.”
Are you concerned by the reports?
AÓF: “Well, reports don’t particularly concern me. I’ll be concerned that the process is followed accurately and properly and fairly for the player concerned, and for the whole association. But until that process is complete, I would hold fire on having concerns of any kind, to be quite honest with you. We co-operate very closely with the Irish Sports Council and I have full trust in the system.”
What is the process?
AÓF: “I’m not aware of that. I wouldn’t have a hands-on role of that. We certainly encourage and co-operate closely with the Sports Council on facilitating them. We facilitate them, we don’t carry out drug-testing. We facilitate drug-testing.”
If there is to be a suspension, will it be handed out by the GAA or the Irish Sports Council?
AÓF: “You’re going to an ‘if’ that I wouldn’t like to comment on at all. Too many ifs, too many ifs… the substance, the reason, the guilt, the non-guilt… too many ifs, no idea.”
But from the point of view of the process, if someone is suspended for taking drugs, is it the GAA who suspends that player?
AÓF: “It depends. It all depends. This is a process that depends on a whole lot of things, whether it’s medical or whether it’s accidental or whether it happened at all or not. It is an ongoing process. There are issues yet to be resolved and at the end of all that it will be an automatic suspension. That’s clear from the Sports Council, but it’s too early for us to comment on that yet.”
To your knowledge, is this an isolated case?
AÓF: “It’s the only one that I know of.”
Aogán Ó Fearghail was speaking at the launch of RTÉ’s 2015 GAA Championship coverage. RTÉ will broadcast 31 live games in HD across the summer, including all six provincial finals, four All-Ireland Senior quarter-finals, plus All-Ireland Senior semi-finals and finals in both hurling and football.
