In terms of Mayo stories randomly catching fire in the build-up to major games, the drafting in of Jim McGuinness as a coach a fortnight out from an All-Ireland final is right up there with that bizarre story of Mayo players apparently using earpieces in training so as to be able to communicate with James Horan.
If you're unaware, fearless sleuth Martin Carney broke the news on The Last Word with Matt Cooper on Friday evening, telling the presenter that Mayo couldn't afford to go toe-to-toe with the Dubs, before dropping the bombshell that McGuinness had been helping coach the Mayo defence in the build-up to the final.
And then, on Saturday, David Brady - the man who divulged the earpiece story - was on Off the Ball to further propagate the story, only to receive a text while on air telling him the entire story was untrue.
David Brady reporting that Jim McGuinness spoke to Mayo players 3 times over the course of a training camp In Limerick.
— Off The Ball (@offtheball) September 17, 2016
It's all a lie!!
David Brady: "I can categorically say now, Stephen Rochford has never spoken to Jim McGuinness in his life"— Off The Ball (@offtheball) September 17, 2016
The final word on the myth was delivered by McGuinness himself on Sky Sports. He was asked by Rachel Wyse to confirm or deny the story as part of Sky's pre-game build-up, and used the opportunity to categorically deny the rumours, saying that it was totally untrue. He also expressed his disappointment at what he termed "poor journalism", having seen it run by "the state broadcaster and national newspapers".
Watch below:
Rec059 by yossarianlives5
