In case you've been living under a rock for the last month or so, Diarmuid Connolly was suspended for 12 weeks. He pushed a linesman and accepted his ban for doing so. Dublin eventually decided to appeal his ban, and accepted the decision when the appeal was subsequently rejected.
Then it all got a bit farcical. Firstly, Jim Gavin banned all one-to-one broadcast media interviews with Dublin players and management following their 31 point Leinster semi-final win over Westmweath. When questioned as to why, Gavin came out swinging against the supposed targeting of Connolly by the media:
What concerns me is how his good name was attacked. Before we even saw the referee's report, we have the national broadcaster, both Pat Spillane and Colm O'Rourke, particularly Pat, who had a pre-determined statement. We saw the rulebook being read out against him on Sky Sports. Supporters have come to me and asked me what's going on, and why is this imbalance happening. I am struggling to give them a balanced and proportionate opinion to them.
Within 24 hours, before the referee's report had been signed off, there was a...not a media campaign, but it got a lot of traction in the media, and more importantly, [regarding] the right he has as an individual in the Republic, I think his good name was certainly attacked.
We already wrote about how Gavin completely undermined Connolly with these comments and why the Sunday Game analysis didn't exactly help matters.
But here's the thing. The GAA, since the start of this year, have been cracking down on interference with officials.
There's been a long overdue zero tolerance policy on even the mildest physical abuse of an official in an effort to end the ridiculous "culture" within the GAA of this kind of behaviour.
In April, Kieran McGeeney was banned for 12 weeks for an altercation with Joe McQuillan during Armagh's win over Antrim in Division Three.
In May, Tipperary goalkeeper Evan Comerford raised his hands towards the ref while appealing a decision for Kilsheelan-Kilcash in a club match. He was slapped with a 12 week ban as well.
Armagh appealed McGeeney's suspension, and it was rejected. Comerford accepted his ban as well.
Tonight, Ryan Burns has had his appeal against a ban of the same length rejected. He kicked a ball towards an umpire at the end of Louth's defeat to Longford in the qualifiers.
All of this happened without a media campaign of any kind. Pat Spillane didn't prompt the GAA to make any of these bans.
Likewise, while many Dublin fans believe there has been a vendetta against Connolly, there is very little mention of the remarkable consistency of the CCCC on this matter in 2017. And unlike Connolly, these players won't have an All-Ireland semi final to come back to when the 12 weeks are up.
The GAA aren't cracking down on Dublin, or on Connolly. They're not getting special treatment 'just because they're Dublin'. It's been set out from the start of the year, and the GAA are following through with the rules.
The idea that the media had any influence over Connolly's ban is nonsense when there have now been three of the exact same bans for the exact same reason as Connolly already this year.
The strange thing about this how straight forward a case the whole thing is. It really shouldn't have become any kind of saga, which really makes Jim Gavin's petulance with the media on Sunday all the more bizarre.
Dublin may want a war with the media and the GAA this summer, but this argument is simply not based on fact.
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