Oisín McConville was "disappointed with the conversation" on RTÉ about the sending off of Armagh's Rian O'Neill during his side's defeat to Tyrone in the All-Ireland SFC group stage on Saturday.
McConville, who is O'Neill's uncle, also said he "didn't think there was a big pile in it" regarding the incident which led to the player being shown a red card by referee Martin McNally.
O'Neill was sent off late in the first half after appearing to kneel on the head of Tyrone's Cormac Quinn. McConville took particular issue with three-time Tyrone All-Ireland winner Enda McGinley's analysis of the incident on RTÉ's The Saturday Game highlights show.
"At half-time on RTÉ, there was nothing about mitigating circumstances or anything," McConville told the BBC's The GAA Social podcast.
"It was like he was fighting with himself almost, that he wasn't trying to protect himself.
"Then Enda McGinley on the Saturday Game, I didn't know Enda McGinley had x-ray vision, because he was able to see what was going on that nobody else could see, that the pictures couldn't tell you.
"He was talking about rabbit punches and all this sort of stuff. I just found that a little bit... and not to be challenged on that, not to be challenged that that's actually not what happened. You can't see what happened."
Missed goal opportunities and Rian O'Neill's red mist cost Armagh but they'll be heartened by their second half against Tyrone, suggests Enda McGinley #SaturdayGame #GAA pic.twitter.com/punQHA4tRX
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) June 3, 2023
McGinley said that "Rian would play the game on the edge".
"If you watch his left arm - both on that clip and this here one - there is a jab action, and I think he was a wee go at a rabbit punch here to Cormac Quinn's head, and then he had a knee placed on the head too. I don't think there can be much complaint from Armagh," he added.
McConville, who is also the Wicklow manager, said he feels Gaelic football's more skilful players are not getting the protection that they need.
"I'm not making excuses for Rian but one of the things I was told at the start of the year [by Donal Smyth, the GAA's national match officials coordinator] is that 'We're going to protect the better players'," he said.
"They're just not doing that.
"I think [Rian O'Neil] gets no protection whatsoever. As a result of that... He's seen as being bigger than everybody else, stronger, and should be able to take it, and all that - pure nonsense.
"One of the things I was told at the start of the year as an inter-county manager is that 'we will be protecting the better players'. That was one of the directives towards referees.
3 June 2023; Referee Martin McNally shows a red card to Rian O'Neill of Armagh during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Round 2 match between Tyrone and Armagh at O'Neill's Healy Park in Omagh, Tyrone. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
"Let's say for example the Galway linesman from the weekend who got Rian sent off was 60 yards from the incident and could see that. If he can see that, between all the officials, they can surely see what's going on on the rest of the field.
"I know I'm going to get stick for this but it's not about Rian. There's a broader thing. One of the things that we focused on with Wicklow this year is our best player was fouled 16 times in one half of football - seven times by the same player. That player wasn't ticked, wasn't black carded, wasn't yellow carded.
"When I talked to Donal Smyth, I told him 'You're not protecting the better players, that's absolute nonsense'. If that's what the intention is, then you need to go and reinforce that. From what I've seen in regards to other players, they're not getting the protection."
Put to McConville that the development of a perception that his nephew regularly gets into situations like the once which led to him being sent off could make life difficult for him, he replied: "It doesn't help whenever the guys who are supposed to be having a look at the game and judge it for what it is are talking about somebody being punched when they weren't punched."
See Also: Armagh Star Rian O'Neill Sent Off For Knee On The Head Of Tyrone Man
