Dub criticised for keeping O’Carroll on

Dublin have been criticised for not taking concussed Rory O’Carroll off the field of play in Sunday’s All-Ireland final.

Acquired Brain Injury Ireland (ABII), for whom the full-back is an ambassador, said the decision to allow him continue for the remaining 16 minutes of the game after suffering the injury in a challenge with Enda Varley put him “at risk and more susceptible to a second hit and repeat concussion”.

According to manager Jim Gavin, Dublin didn’t realise the full extent of O’Carroll’s injury. O’Carroll expressed his wish to continue as did Jonny Cooper who also suffered concussion but was replaced in the 53rd minute.

However, Cooper was their fifth and final substitute and while O’Carroll could have left the pitch, he couldn’t be replaced.

In a statement, ABII chief executive Barbara O’Connell said: “Rory has been a great ambassador and advocate of concussion awareness and so in hindsight I know he will agree that he should have come off the pitch after he got concussed in yesterday’s All-Ireland final.

“However, we must also note that as a concussed player Rory’s decision making was impaired at the time, and so the decision to come off the pitch should’ve been taken out of his hands.

“The fear for Rory, or any player who plays on while concussed, is the risk of a second hit resulting in the catastrophe of second impact syndrome; which we saw 14-year-old Ben Robinson die of earlier this month.

“Any player feeling dazed, or experiencing any concussion symptoms following a hit to the head, must be removed from play immediately and not return to play until symptom free.”

Gavin acknowledged: “If a player is concussed he should have been off. He had a bang to the head as had Jonny Cooper along with one or two others.

“Yeah, afterwards when we sat him down in the dressing room... Jonny came straight off because he was diagnosed with concussion and he even vomited up there in the dugout afterwards.

“But if we had known the extent of Rory’s injury he would have been off but I think for a guy who they said had concussion afterwards, I think he played quite well.

“But that is something that we need to look at in Gaelic games anyway. Players could be seen to be feigning injury but he certainly wasn’t. When he went down he had got a blow to the head.”