Walker’s failed drug test was the ‘lowest point’ as a manager
IN LATE April came the bombshell of a failed drug test by a senior inter-county footballer. One which quickly prompted the question: what links a 35-year-old amateur Carlow footballer and multimillionaire women’s tennis star Maria Sharapova? Answer: the drug meldonium and a ban from their respective sports.
The case of Ray Walker, from Turlough O’Brien’s standpoint, remains a delicate and sensitive issue. But it raises serious questions for sport and the GAA. It also shines a light on governance and management and the player education process. It asks whether a four-year ban is extreme versus the counter argument that the integrity of the games deserves such extreme measures.
‘There were an awful lot of protocols around this,’ reveals O’Brien. ‘We weren’t allowed to speak to anyone. I was completely thrown. I was obviously concerned, wanted to do the right thing, but I couldn’t speak to anyone about it because it hadn’t been announced by the Sports Council. Which made it very difficult to deal with.
‘For me, it was probably the lowest point, being honest.
‘There are flaws in the system in terms of education. The players have up until the 31st of March to complete their training, and the National League starting in January. It needs to be looked at. The training is online as well so it’s hard to monitor it. Your grant then is tied to the previous year. The players who played the previous year are the ones who are most tuned in. ‘There are lessons there for everyone,’ added O’Brien. ‘Unfortunately, it’s a heavy, heavy penalty for him. It’s the end of his career.’
Walker, who only returned to the squad the previous November after a long absence, protested his innocence even as he accepted the ban: ‘I did not intentionally take any banned substance. Anything that was found in my system was there completely unintentionally.’
Is the four-year penalty too severe for an amateur Gaelic footballer – or does it have to be?
‘I don’t know enough about it, to be honest, to say. But you see some of the stories from international sports, from professional sport, and there isn’t such a heavy ban. So it is a surprise.’ Are the controls important? Is the entire drug-testing policy important for Gaelic games?
‘I think it is.
We do need more awareness. Intercounty players prepare like elite athletes – they are in fairness.’ An avid cyclist, he doesn’t have to look too far beyond Lance Armstrong to know that the integrity of sport is vital.
A few isolated, individual cases aside — Walker’s the latest — he believes Gaelic games still has that integrity. ‘I’ve never seen or heard anything in Gaelic football that would cause concern. I would hope that would always be the way. Overall, Ireland has a very good record in terms of individuals’ responsibilities towards their sport.’