O' Driscoll ghost writer explains why he quit

Sports writer Paul Kimmage has revealed Brian O’Driscoll’s decision to give an interview to one paper ahead of another was behind the journalist’s decision to pull out of ghost-writing the rugby legend’s autobiography.

After publisher Penguin Ireland announced it had “regretfully accepted” Mr Kimmage’s decision to quit the project, he explained his decision at a public event in Dublin last night.

“I was due to meet him (Brian) on Saturday but heard through the grapevine that there was a possibility he was going to give a big interview ahead of the Six Nations weekend opener to a newspaper. I spoke to him and said ‘Brian if you are giving an interview before the weekend it would be a big help to me if you could give it to the Sunday Indo’. Him talking to another paper wasn’t going to compromise the book or the Indo but that wasn’t a concession he was willing to make. I felt he was being unreasonable, He felt I was being unreasonable, so we decided to go our separate ways.”

Mr Kimmage said it was not easy to capture the true essence of the player and present a “proper, true portrait of him”.

“It was a daunting prospect to try and transcribe 600,000 words but I actually managed to write a block of 20,000 words that in my opinion were interesting and innovative, showing the true side of Brian.”

Mr Kimmage said he had endured a lot of pain over the last few days “because a loving relationship, like I had with Brian, has come to an end”.

“Nothing sensational about it but I’m very, very disappointed it has happened,” he said.

In its announcement of the news that Mr Kimmage had withdrawn from the project, Penguin included a quote from the player himself.

Brian O’Driscoll said: “I have enjoyed working with Paul over the last few years and it is unfortunate that we cannot complete this project together.”

Alan English, editor of the Limerick Leader and another former Sunday Times journalist, has been named as the new ghost writer of the book which is due for release this autumn.

Mr English has previously written three books on Irish rugby including Stand Up and Fight: When Munster Beat the All-Blacks.

Earlier this month, Paul Kimmage spoke about the breakdown of his long friendship with Sunday Times sports journalist David Walsh. Mr Kimmage said they had fallen out over a number of issues including an article in which Mr Walsh described those who cast doubts on Tour de France winner, Chris Froome, as a “mob”, a comment which Mr Kimmage said he found insulting.