Cody escapes ban for ‘criminal’ ref blast

Brian Cody has avoided suspension for comments about referee Barry Kelly in the wake of Kilkenny’s All-Ireland hurling final replay win over Tipperary last month.

Cody was warned as to his future conduct, however, which amounts to little more than a light slap on the wrists for comments that caused a major stir, and the decision is unlikely to go down well with the GAA’s refereeing fraternity.

The Kilkenny manager described Kelly’s decision to give a last-gasp free to Tipperary — which almost yielded the winning score for the Munster county — as “criminal” at the team hotel on the morning after the sides’ second meeting.