Burns in last ditch appeal to avoid ban
LEINSTER MFC
RYAN Burns will learn this week when his DRA (Dispute Resolution Authority) hearing will take place as he makes a last-ditch effort to have his 12-week ban quashed.
The independent body is the last port of call for GAA players seeking to appeal suspensions and Burns has already had his appeal turned down by the GAA’s Central Hearings Committee and the Central Appeals Committee.
The Louth attacker was red-carded after hitting an umpire with a ball at the end of Louth’s All-Ireland Qualifier defeat to Longford and was subsequently suspended from all GAA activity for three months.
The Hunterstown Rovers man maintains that he was merely kicking the ball back to the goalkeeper, but inadvert- ently struck the umpire, who was some 20 yards from Burns and standing directly between the player and the ‘keeper.
As well as missing both of his club’s intermediate Championship group games, Burns was forced to postpone a coaching camp he was due to run for Hunterstown.
His plight even made it to the chambers of the Ardee Municipal District recently when Cllr Dolores Minogue stated that the player was ‘penalised for nothing’ and not only is he, but his club, is paying the price.
‘I was at the game and the incident was accidental and he was kicking the ball back to the goalkeeper. His ban impacts on the player and the club in terms of their own season and also summer camps.
‘These lads are not getting paid by the GAA and they should remember that,’ she said.‘If they wanted to ban him, then he should miss the next few Louth matches, but this system penalises clubs too, small clubs, and that’s not on.’