Yesterday, Brendan Devenney made some sickening allegations about an act of sledging against a bereaved Donegal minor footballer. Many were suitably appalled by the revelation but the former Donegal star did not go as far as revealing the details of the incident.
Donegal minor manager Declan Bonner has gone one step further in his column in today's Donegal News. Bonner has explained how his captain, Micheál Carroll was subjected to 'some of the worst verbal abuse you could imagine' from two Tyrone players following the death of his father who had recently passed as a result of cancer.
Bonner went on to say that the incident had made him question his future in the game.
If this is what is going to happen in games, then I don’t want to be a part of it. I would rather walk away than be involved in something that has become so toxic.
Sledging is part and parcel of the game now, but there are certain boundaries that should not be crossed. This whole thing has gone to a new level and in our minor game against Tyrone on Sunday, those boundaries were crossed to sickening levels.
It really is the buzz word in GAA at the moment and perhaps this horrible incident will serve a purpose in shining a much needed spotlight on the act of 'sledging'.
