Shane O'Donnell angry over loss of earnings and 'condescending' GAA director

The Clare hurling star has condemned the behaviour of GAA director of finance Ger Mulryan during a loss of earnings claim last year.

Shane O'Donnell of Clare before the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship Quarter Final match between Clare and Dublin at TUS Gaelic Grounds in Limerick. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Shane O’Donnell has condemned the behaviour of GAA director of finance Ger Mulryan during a loss of earnings claim last year.

The Clare star, who missed six weeks of work in 2021 due to severe concussion, described an email sent to him by Mulryan as “very condescending”.

Upon learning that he was entitled to €300 per week through the GAA’s player injury scheme for five of the six weeks of work he missed, O'Donnell contacted Mulryan via the Clare County Board.

“He basically responded with a very condescending email, to be honest,” says O’Donnell of the contact 12 months ago, which came 16 months after he suffered concussion in Clare training. “The tone of the email was essentially I should be happy with what they were willing to give me. That was essentially what the response was.

“It stung me at the time. To be honest, I was absolutely infuriated but there was no recourse, really. That’s what’s written down and I don’t have the ability to change that after the fact. So, despite how angry I was, that was all I was entitled to.

“I think people would be surprised. When you see GAA inter-county players play on the weekend and someone has a severe injury, you’re thinking, ‘God, I hope they get better’ – but you’re definitely not thinking, ‘God, I hope this doesn’t put them in financial ruin.’ Because they’re not covered, and that’s the reality of the situation – the GAA will not cover them. And I don’t think people appreciate that.” 

Asked for a response O’Donnell’s claim about Mulryan, the GAA did not address it directly. “The GPA raised issues around the GAA Player Injury Scheme at a recent JRC (Joint Review Committee) meeting which were noted, and a proposal is being worked on for the next meeting of that committee.

“The GAA is the only sporting body that runs a Player Injury Scheme and last year spent over €8m assisting 6606 club and county players. The scheme currently provides for a level of additional benefits for inter-county players.” 

Having only been four days into a new job as project manager with Eagle Genomics when the injury occurred, O’Donnell feared the injury would force his employers to let him go. He estimates he lost out on over €5,000 in earnings.

“When I went back after the six weeks, I was almost 100% certain I was going to lose my job. I had blown a six-week hole at the start of the most important point of your job. And I couldn’t give them anything definite.

“When I came back, I was doing half-days, reduced screen time days. Bearing in mind my boss was Swedish, he doesn’t know what hurling is and he doesn’t know why suddenly I was off. Thankfully he was very considered about it and treated me fairly.” 

O’Donnell feels the GAA “wiped their hands of” him. “He (Mulryan) cc'd someone saying, 'Send Shane his few hundred euro', and then it appeared in my bank account a couple of days later. So like, there was no more engagement after that.” 

The 29-year-old admits he never thought of seeking assistance from Club Clare supporters club. Manager Brian Lohan contacted him this past week when he learned through the media what had happened.

“He hadn’t realised I was out of pocket. He said he would look to try and get that covered if the GAA weren’t… he just assumed that the GAA were covering that when I went through the process of looking for the loss of wages.

“I don’t think it should be coming from the pockets of people who are kind enough to put money into Club Clare, so that Clare is well-funded. That shouldn’t be going into my pocket because I don’t have wages because I had a bad injury.” 

O’Donnell today brings forward a motion to the GPA’s AGM calling on the GAA to improve its insurance cover for players losing earnings for injuries sustained representing their counties.

Having sat out the 2022 Allianz League as he recovered from concussion, O’Donnell chose to do the same this past year and it hardly detracted from his championship performances. It’s likely he will skip it again in 2024.

“The first time I took the league off, it was an effort to reduce my time on the pitch from a health perspective. It has not progressed past that, to be honest. I have had the opportunity to come back in March with a renewed level of enthusiasm and I think there is a lot to be said about the GPA’s other motion about removing pre-season competitions which from my perspective is a no-brainer.

"It goes along the same idea, when you have an opportunity to have a longer time off, you come back far more enthusiastic.”