Walsh: we have nothing to hide

Kerry chairman Sean Walsh provided a detailed breakdown of the ‘arrangement’ with Jack O’Connor on Radio Kerry yesterday.

Here are the edited highlights:

“In terms of paying Jack O’Connor or paying a substitute teacher, this simply did not happen. At start of last year Jack was under some pressure with regard to the amount of travelling he had to do after school — to and from Killarney for Kerry training team.

“We told Jack that at the end of the year, we would give him a good family holiday. That’s the only way we could do it through the holiday system. Instead of carrying himself and his wife with the Kerry team, it would envisaged he would be given a good family holiday with his wife and family. He was happy with that and he went on a fairly substantial holiday.

In relation to financial contributions by the Kerry County Board to Jack O’Connor or to paying a substitute teacher for him, or handing Jack money for the substitute teacher, that did not happen.

If we did that we would have broken the rule in relation to amateur status.

“Our accounts will clearly show, as our accounts are prepared for convention every year. Everything we gave Jack is clearly shown — vouched expenses which would be fairly big (because he was travelling from St Finian’s Bay to Killarney and everywhere for matches all over the country). Also his phone bill would have been covered because Jack was in a lot of contact with his players. He got 50 cent a mile — we’ve never breached that.

“I am not even 100% sure where he went (on that holiday). There was a hotel booked for them in some resort for two weeks. Jack O’Connor was entitled to it. It is a huge commitment coming from South Kerry three or four afternoons a week.

“Our books are clear and available to anyone who wants to come in and look at them in relation to Jack O’Connor. We have nothing to hide. There was no over the counter payments to Jack — we felt that he was entitled to the holiday and it was for only 2006.”