AXED DONEGAL WING-BACK Kevin Cassidy has defended the comments which look to have ended his inter-county career, insisting that he said nothing which would justify Jim McGuinness’s decision to dump him.

In a statement released to Gaelic Life , the two-time All-Star said that he had “no regrets” about his contribution to This is Our Year, the book in which he spoke candidly about Donegal’s Ulster Championship winning season.

Furious with what he saw as a breach of the squad’s vow of silence, McGuinness met Cassidy on Tuesday and informed the Gweedore man that he would not be part of the county’s plans for 2012.

But a distraught Cassidy maintains that everything he said was already common knowledge.

“It was with total honesty that I approached it and I don’t believe I revealed any secrets within the squad,” Cassidy said. “Anything that I discussed had been said before the publication.”

Cassidy also came under fire for his criticism of John Joe Doherty, McGuinness’s predecessor as manager, but insisted today that he has complete respect for all of his former coaches.

Anything I talked about in the book was only my opinion on where Donegal were coming from and how we needed to change to reach the heights we did. I never intended any disrespect to any opponents or Donegal people.

Cassidy dumped as McGuinness enforces Donegal omerta

Poll: Was Jim McGuinness right to axe All-Star Cassidy over book comments?