McGuinness keeping an open mind on Cassidy recall

DONEGAL boss Jim McGuinness has refused to rule out Kevin Cassidy returning to his panel.

The 2011 Ulster SFC and Allianz Division Two winning coach revealed the All Star defender could be invited back, noting Adrian Hanlon, who was dropped from the panel for a breach of discipline last season, returned earlier this month.

“The same criteria applies,” said McGuinness.

Cassidy was axed from Donegal after his contribution to the book, This Is Our Year, in which he lifted the lid on several parts of the team’s successful 2011 season.

“I wouldn’t close the door, but the bottom line is this here — our rules and our parameters were very well defined and what happened was so far over the line in relation to our group... that’s all I can say on it,” stated McGuinness.

The Naomh Conaill man added: “It was just an issue that came up and had to be dealt with. It was dealt with at the time — we were very clear.

“That’s all I can say. I gave the player (Cassidy) my word that I wasn’t going to mention it and I’m not going to mention it.

McGuinness insists there is no split in the camp following the decision to drop Cassidy.

He also claims there has been a “media witch-hunt” waged against him and his Donegal team.

McGuinness cites last May when he objected to Pat Spillane’s comments about Ryan Bradley on The Sunday Game after the forward was awarded their man of the match for the Ulster preliminary round win over Antrim.

According to McGuinness, the bias against Donegal in the media began after that.

“I think from the moment I stood up for Ryan Bradley that there was a media witch-hunt against me and the team.

“Some of the things that were said about the team, they were called The Taliban at one stage, was extremely disrespectful.”

McGuinness reports none of what has been written and said about Donegal has affected the players, although he takes exception to ex-players as pundits criticising unemployed inter-county footballers.

“There is a lot of things going on that are not football-related but in fairness to the boys none if it has taken a fizz out of them.

“They just get on with the business and look forward to staying together and training. But there is a lot of crap going on.

“There are a lot of people who have an agenda and they’re trying to have a go consistently at us. Once you’re aware of it and you know what’s going on, then you can deal with it on a personal level.

“At the end of the day, it’s not that important. We don’t want to be going to war with people but there are boundaries and there’s respect.

“There were always boundaries in the GAA but now it seems some people feel they can overstep those boundaries.

“A lot of the time it’s ex-players, who are making an awful lot of money on the back of people who are out of work and trying their best for their county in a voluntary capacity. Morally, I don’t think that’s correct.”

Meanwhile, McGuinness categorically denied threatening to cut Martin McElhinney from his panel.

DCU’s Niall Moyna, who described McGuinness as “bullying”, also claimed the Donegal manager had told the student he risked losing his spot in the panel if he didn’t turn up for a challenge game against Monaghan last Saturday week. McGuinness counter-claimed Moyna “forced” McElhinney and Michael Murphy, who were both sick, to drive to Dublin for a training session on January 3.

“The boys drove to Dublin, stood on the sideline at DCU when the rest of the boys were training, because they were sick or injured, watched the session and then got into the car and drove back to Donegal. Now you tell me where the welfare of the player is there.”

He continued about Moyna’s remarks: “It’s wrong and it’s allegations that are being fired into the public domain, in the media, in the hope that some of it is going to stick. Perception is reality and it’s point scoring and it’s trying to defame me.”

McGuinness believes Moyna’s criticism of him comes from Murphy being ruled out of the Sigerson Cup following a groin operation. He argues the Sigerson Cup should be played in late November, while insisting colleges should be barred from pre-season inter-county competitions.