Shanahan reveals hate campaign after boss McCarthy’s exit
In his soon to be released autobiography, Shanahan reveals that county board officials intercepted hate mail which they advised him not to read, while the gardaí were alerted to the abusive texts which he and other players and officials received.
The book, ‘If You Don’t Know Me Don’t Judge Me’, describes the huge focus on Shanahan following McCarthy’s resignation. The Lismore club man did not shake the manager’s hand when being substituted in the Munster SHC game against Clare, focusing attention on tension in the Waterford camp.
Shanahan describes not shaking McCarthy’s hand as the “biggest mistake of my life”.
The 2007 Hurler of the Year says: “I didn’t know then that that was the start of me getting some amount of shit. If I’d even said to him after the match, ‘Justin, I’m sorry I didn’t shake your hand,’ things might have gone differently, but I didn’t.”
Shanahan says the atmosphere was poisonous in the dressing-room after the defeat by Clare and the players quickly decided they could not continue under McCarthy.
“The unease was palpable. The players weren’t speaking, they weren’t engaging with management at all, and when we got on the bus, the majority of us went to the back. The talk was simple enough: he’s got to go. It was that quick.”
Following a meeting in Tramore two days later the players voted in favour of McCarthy’s departure, and Shanahan goes on to describe the hate mail he received.
“I got a call from the county board one evening and the chairman, Pat Flynn, said ‘we’ve a letter here addressed to you but I’d advise you not to open it. I’ll open it.’
“I told him to go ahead, and when he did, he said, ‘I’m not showing you what’s in this. It’s disgusting.’ A letter with a Kildare postmark.”
Shanahan also received abusive text messages and contacted the authorities. “I ended up going to the guards and the sergeant I spoke to asked if I wanted anything done. I said I just wanted to cover myself, but through another channel I eventually tracked down the address of the person sending them, and then, of course, I knew who it was.
“I wasn’t the only one getting that kind of rubbish – Brick (Michael Walsh, Waterford player) was getting abusive texts as well as Jim Dee (Waterford official).” Shanahan also describes his clashes with McCarthy’s replacement, Davy Fitzgerald, as well as his extra-time goal which defeated Cork in this season’s replayed Munster senior hurling final.
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