Under-fire Cusack quits Sport Ireland and Clare
DÓNAL ÓG CUSACK has resigned from his role as Clare senior hurling coach. Flagged in yesterday’s Irish
Daily Mail, the news was confirmed in a statement by the three time All-Ireland winning Cork goalkeeper, who also revealed that he was resigning from the board of Sport Ireland with immediate effect. His positions with both came under intense scrutiny after it was revealed that he wrote a character reference for disgraced former Irish
Times journalist Tom Humphries, who was yesterday sentenced to two and a half years in prison for grooming a girl when she was 14 years old before sexually abusing her. Cusack said in a previous statement that he had shown a ‘lack of judgement’ and apologised for any hurt or offence caused by his action but his decision to resign from both roles shows how his position had become untenable. Cusack was a regular analyst on RTÉ’s The Sunday Game until joining the Clare set-up under Davy Fitzgerald for the 2016 season. When joint managers Gerry O’Connor and Donal Moloney took over last season, he stayed on as coach. Last night, when contacted by Sportsmail, the RTÉ press office stated that he is not currently contracted, making just one guest appearance this summer on the Sunday Game live broadcast for the All-Ireland semi-final between Cork and Waterford. 2016 National League champions Clare are one of four counties, along with Dublin, Tipperary and All-Ireland champions Galway, who will travel to Boston next month for the AIG Fenway Classic, an 11-aside goals-only tournament which Cusack played a key role in designing. FULL STORY - SEE NEWS, PAGE 7
DÓNAL ÓG Cusack resigned from the Clare hurling coaching staff and the board of Sport Ireland last night following weeks of criticism for defending the character of paedophile, Tom Humphries.
Mr Cusack announced his departure from the roles on Twitter yesterday evening, saying he did not wish for the controversy to detract from ‘the important work’ he was engaged in.
Yesterday, the Irish Daily Mail revealed that Mr Cusack had stepped down from the coaching staff, which he confirmed in the statement released last night, stating: ‘I have informed the Clare County Board, Clare Senior Hurling Management and Players that I will not be resuming my position as Coach in 2018.
‘I wish everyone involved the very best both on and off the field.’
In a separate note, Mr Cusack said he had informed Minister for Sport, Shane Ross, of his intention to resign with immediate effect.
It comes after the Irish Daily Mail reported on Monday that Mr Ross was unhappy with Mr Cusack’s decision to provide a character reference for Humphries, describing it as a ‘serious lack of judgment’.
Sports Ireland is the body responsible for setting guidelines for child safety in sport.
On October 14, Mr Cusack confirmed that he was the sportsman referred to in court as having provided a character reference to Humphries.
In a statement that he released via Twitter, the former Cork goalkeeper apologised for his lack of judgement on the matter and said his intention was to help ‘a human in a dark place who asked me for help’.
During the case, Sunday Times sports journalist, David Walsh joined Mr Cusack in defending Humphries’s character in a written letter submitted to the court.
During sentencing yesterday, Judge Karen O’Connor said she had carefully considered the contents of references from two friends of Tom Humphries before deciding to jail him for two-anda-half years.
Neither of the former journalist’s referees was named in court. Following the sentencing of his friend, Mr Walsh said he unequivocally condemned Humphries’s crimes and had every sympathy for his victim.
The Sunday Times did not respond to requests for comment at time of going to print.