Diarmuid Connolly and Tom Brady: a tale of two suspensions

Diarmuid Connolly benefited from an almost identical assessment in New England Patriots quarter-back’s Tom Brady’s suspension appeal case last week to successfully quash the ublin star’s one-match ban on Saturday.

In a seven-hour marathon meeting that finished past 2am on Saturday, the Disputes Resolution Authority found that there had been a “lack of fair procedure early on” in the process.

It has since been learned by the Irish Examiner that the DRA ruled in Connolly’s favour having learned he had sought a clarification from referee Joe McQuillan and linesman Conor Lane about what they observed when the Dublin forward clashed with Mayo’s Lee Keegan in injury-time. They were satisfied Connolly’s request was not followed up properly by the GAA’s disciplinary authorities.