Cooney to probe Duggan case

GAA president Christy Cooney has defended Croke Park’shandling of the Diarmuid Duggan reimbursement row, but warned county boards they also have a responsibility to support their players.

As the GPA described the treatment of Duggan as disappointing, Mr Cooney revealed he has asked officials to look into the issue raised by an interview with the ex-Cork footballer in yesterday’s Irish Examiner.

Social media outlets lit up yesterday with reaction to Duggan’s plight but Cork GAA chairman Bob Ryan claimed he knew nothing about the situation until he read yesterday’s newspaper.

Duggan revealed how he is €7,000 out of pocket for medical bills to treat a hip injury that finished his career at 31. Attempts to contact Cork GAA secretary Frank Murphy regarding some level of financial support drew a blank for the Cork-based teacher, who claims the board “washed their hands” of him.

After Duggan’s predicament was highlighted yesterday, Cooney pledged to investigate the case. But asked how serious a story it is, Cooney said: “I don’t know whether it’s a serious issue at all.

“I don’t have the full facts of the case but my understanding is that Diarmuid Duggan had an operation sometime in 2008 [sic] and the county board fully funded that operation and paid close to €5,000.

“Something developed after that and I know an application came before us for some funding from our benevolent fund. We fund the GPA’s funding and the GPA look after the benefits for inter-county players and there was a case made to the GPA and they gave a grant of €3,000 [to Duggan]. That’s as much as I know about the situation.”

Cooney is unsure if Duggan’s second operation, as the player claims, was necessary because of the intensity of training and playing with Cork.

“I’ve asked some people to look into it currently but my understanding is the county board covered the [first] operation that he had. I’m not familiar with what happened after that. Whether his second operation was because of an injury he sustained on the field or as a result of wear and tear or genetic, I don’t know.”

Cooney appreciates inter-county players shouldn’t be out of pocket for injuries picked up while representing their counties. But he added: “That’s assuming they pick up the injuries on the field of play and if it’s on the field of play, of course we have a responsibility to support them, of course the county board has a responsibility to support them.

“But the full matter of this case, I don’t really know. I’ve asked someone this [yesterday] morning to look into it for me.”

Cooney confirmed the GPA issued the former Cork footballer with €3,000 towards the costs he incurred paying for a second operation on a chronic hip injury.

Despite several pleas from Duggan to the Cork County Board to aid him in paying for his second operation, they went unheeded.

Cork chairman Ryan maintains he knew nothing about Duggan’s problem, even though the player was in contact with the county board several times and regularly with Ryan’s current vice-chairman Ger Lane.

“I am being very honest here in saying that I had absolutely no knowledge of it, and I am certainly not familiar with it,” maintained Ryan. “That’s all I’m going to say on the matter.”

Duggan declined yesterday to comment further on the issue but had earlier told how he was left isolated by the lack of financial support from his own county board.

In the second part of his interview, published on Page 21, he also warns, from first hand experience, of the dangers of burnout. “There’s definitely an overload on players from the ages of 17 to 22. They’re trying to juggle and go from team to team. When you love playing, you don’t want to refuse anyone. You probably don’t have enough experience to handle a situation like that. In hindsight I was being pulled by too many teams. But like any young player, I loved playing and it’s hard to say no. When you’re 22 or 23, you’re able to stand up for yourself and say, ‘I can’t train here’.

“But as young lads, you end up going along with what you’re told.”