Armaghs media ban and the wider implications/issues.

kippy

Hi all,
Apologies if this has already been mentioned/discussed - please feel free to merge/lock as appropriate.

I was just wondering what the opinions were from seasoned GAA heads on the Armagh media ban and its repercussions/implications for the game as a whole.
For the record here is a recent article on it although it has been going on some time now.
http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/mcconville-armagh-media-ban-gone-to-ridiculous-level-278690.html

Former Armagh star Oisín McConville, pictured, claims the county’s behaviour has reached a ridiculous level after they pulled out of a scheduled press conference yesterday.

The GAA were left embarrassed when the All-Ireland quarter-finalists pulled the plug on an event set to take place in the Carrickdale Hotel.

Selector Peter McDonnell and injured captain Ciaran McKeever had been expected to be in attendance.

In a statement, the GAA said they would endeavour to ensure Armagh players and management would be available for interview before and after this Saturday’s clash with Donegal.

The latest act runs consistent with Armagh’s selective media ban, which extends to the national media, although Stefan Campbell appeared on Sky Sports after last weekend’s victory over Meath.

Their stance stems back to their Ulster quarter-final win over Cavan when manager Paul Grimley claimed “hysterical” media coverage of the counties’ pre-match row had convinced the GAA to serve three Armagh players with one-match bans as well as a €5,000 fine.

Cavan were also handed down the same fine with two players banned.

Croke Park had only been informed yesterday morning of the Armagh management’s decision not to go ahead with the press conference.

Head of communications Alan Milton said: “We discussed the event with the Armagh County Board and the relevant parties, and we wouldn’t have put it out there if there wasn’t an understanding that it would take place.”

McConville has been dismayed by the action and can’t understand how the management believe it will aid their preparations for Donegal.

“I was buoyed by the fact we were going to speak to journalists. I thought, ‘right, they’ve made their point’ and were moving on. But this now smacks of a county that’s looking for headlines rather than trying to shy away from there. For it to be pulled at the last minute doesn’t seem right.

“I have spoken to lots of Armagh people on this. The important thing to them is that the team are going well and that’s an essential point to make. The second point is people at this stage are just wondering what is going on.

“Most supporters could understand why they felt they needed to make the point and that’s probably fair enough but it’s now gone to a ridiculous level and this latest incident doesn’t help anybody. It doesn’t help the PR of Armagh, it doesn’t help the sponsors or the team.

“The focus has to be on Donegal and the massive task ahead of the players. But this stuff is just a distraction and it won’t help.”

McConville suggests Donegal, as much as Armagh, have been indulging in gamesmanship ahead of the last eight fixture.

He believes Martin McHugh’s “two-trick pony” remarks about Colm Cooper were an attempt to take the focus off Donegal ahead of the game.

“If you’re gonna be Hercule Poirot about it you almost feel as if they’re trying to deflect from the camp just as Martin McHugh’s comments at the weekend deflected on Donegal. Both propaganda machines are trying quite hard.”

The pertinent points and questions I would have are these:
1. In an amateur sport do players and management get paid to interact with the media (I would assume not, as they do not have employment/endorsement contracts)
2. Were this to become common place (lack of interaction with the media) would there be anything the GAA/RTE/SKY could do to force people to talk to the media? (I would suggest not as nobody is getting paid here.)
3. If not, surely this would be detrimental to the coverage of the game in the country?

Obviously in other professional sports certain terms and conditions exist within various contracts to ensure that people have to talk to certain media (doesn't mean they have to talk a lot mind). In GAA this type of compulsion will never be able happen in the amateur game.

Granted, it's a rare occurrence etc but I do believe players and staff are well within their rights who they talk to, particularly on their own time in an amateur game.

ProudDUB

They may all be amateurs, but inter county managers don't exist in a bubble. The GAA as an organization, the players, the managers, the media, the sponsors, the TV networks and the fans, all need to coexist together, for it the All Ireland series to work. If one link in the chain breaks down, everybody (especially the fans) suffers.

For that reason, I think that set rules should be in place, that all county boards must abide by. When they appoint a manager of their inter county team, that manager is obligated to fulfill certain media obligations before and after each game. If the person chosen refuses to abide by that, or wants to set his own media agenda, then he doesn't get the job. Plain and simple.

Mardy Bum

Armagh's dirty pre match tactics deserved longer suspensions and heavier fines as they didn't seem to learn their lesson first time around.

LaGlisse

I'd be pretty happy if more teams followed their lead. Most pre match interviews at least are pretty inane.

copacetic

Tyrone haven't spoke to rte for a number of years now without much comment in the printed press. It appears the examiner in particular have an issue and are giving it a lot of newsprint. It's a non issue really, it'll blow over.

Dirty Dingus McGee

Armaghs behaviour is very petty (Tyrone have some justification for blanking RTE but I think they should move on now).

If the media can't criticise the players and managers then you might as well not have any media coverage of GAA at all and when the GAA should be striving to get as much media coverage as possible its bad form for one of the major teams to ban the media.

A very simple way to deal with this would be for the GAA to instruct all teams that they must co - operate with the media and if they don't central funding for the county will be cut.

kippy

copacetic wrote: »

Tyrone haven't spoke to rte for a number of years now without much comment in the printed press. It appears the examiner in particular have an issue and are giving it a lot of newsprint. It's a non issue really, it'll blow over.

It most likely will (blow over) this time....
However my point really is, in an amateur game where the main protagonists don't get paid, why should said main protagonists speak to the media in the first place?
Firstly they are doing this side of it in their own time, with people who are getting paid to be there from media organisations who, oftentimes have paid a lot of money for the rights.
The question then is, what right have the rights holders to insist that people be available for interview and how exactly can the GAA enforce any of it?

The amount of media coverage the games get nowadays is far more than it ever has been and as such the demands on players and staff are far more than they ever were.

kippy

ProudDUB wrote: »

They may all be amateurs, but inter county managers don't exist in a bubble. The GAA as an organization, the players, the managers, the media, the sponsors, the TV networks and the fans, all need to coexist together, for it the All Ireland series to work. If one link in the chain breaks down, everybody (especially the fans) suffers.

For that reason, I think that set rules should be in place, that all county boards must abide by. When they appoint a manager of their inter county team, that manager is obligated to fulfill certain media obligations before and after each game. If the person chosen refuses to abide by that, or wants to set his own media agenda, then he doesn't get the job. Plain and simple.

I think though there is far more media coverage nowadays and as such far greater demands on staff who simply don't do this for the money.
As such I think they are well within their rights in the current environment to blank the media.

ProudDUB

kippy wrote: »

I think though there is far more media coverage nowadays and as such far greater demands on staff who simply don't do this for the money.
As such I think they are well within their rights in the current environment to blank the media.

If we are speaking of rights, what about the rights of others involved in the whole equation....the people of Armagh, the sponsors who cough up money to pay for the teams overheads & are now being denied exposure, the TV stations who cough up money to broadcast the games and show pre and post game interviews, the fans who pay good money to buy tickets. What about them. Don't they matter?

Every single other intercounty manager does a bog standard press conference in the days leading up to their next big game. It is standard procedure. If they can find the time to do so, why can't Grimley? No one is asking him to give individual interviews to every single GAA journalist in the land. They are just asking him to do what every single other intercounty manager does, no more and no less. I think its daft to say that Grimley is not doing the press conference because he doesn't have the time, or because he is not being paid, or he has to be at his day job instead.

kippy

ProudDUB wrote: »

If we are speaking of rights, what about the rights of others involved in the whole equation....the people of Armagh, the sponsors who cough up money to pay for the teams overheads & are now being denied exposure, the TV stations who cough up money to broadcast the games and show pre and post game interviews, the fans who pay good money to buy tickets. What about them. Don't they matter?

For me it comes back to the whole professionalism question.
They are the product.
Why should they, in their own time, outside of all of their own time they give to training, playing, commuting etc, speak with numerous media outlets?
The fans pay good money for tickets to watch them play, if they want to stay connected to the fans they use social media etc....

I agree, the team sponsors and associated backers are being denied exposure also, but they have, I would suggest, absolutely no contractual rights to anything in relation to players and staff and the amount of media time they have and if they did, I would suggest it would be difficult to enforce.

ProudDUB

kippy wrote: »

For me it comes back to the whole professionalism question.
They are the product.
Why should they, in their own time, outside of all of their own time they give to training, playing, commuting etc, speak with numerous media outlets?
The fans pay good money for tickets to watch them play, if they want to stay connected to the fans they use social media etc....

I agree, the team sponsors and associated backers are being denied exposure also, but they have, I would suggest, absolutely no contractual rights to anything in relation to players and staff and the amount of media time they have and if they did, I would suggest it would be difficult to enforce.

Because it comes with the job. They shouldn't be allowed pick and choose what parts of it they don't want to do.

No one is asking him to speak with numerous media outlets. It is a bog standard press conference. Jim Gavin is generally in and out of Dublin's pre game press conference in well under an hour, despite the bazillion media demands on his time & energy. Grimley would be well able for something like that. He is just choosing not to do so, to make a point.

beggars_bush

It's ironic that they're sponsored by a communications company...

keane2097

Most players will welcome the increased profile that comes with doing interviews etc. This is an aberration, complete non-issue.

kippy

ProudDUB wrote: »

Because it comes with the job. They shouldn't be allowed pick and choose what parts of it they don't want to do.

No one is asking him to speak with numerous media outlets. It is a bog standard press conference. Jim Gavin is generally in and out of Dublin's pre game press conference in well under an hour, despite the bazillion media demands on his time & energy. Grimley would be well able for something like that. He is just choosing not to do so, to make a point.

1. It's not a job (especially for the players) - if it were they would expect some compensation for their time.
2. The demands of the media and media outlets have increased drasticilly over the past decade in my opinion.
3. I am not specificilly talking about this issue just the wider issue of how does an amateur organisation co-exist in the world of major rights deals and media requirements when the amateur guys involved see almost nothing of the increased involvement of media and increased broadcasting rights?

I just feel, that somewhere down the line, when the players want to make a wider point, a media ban initiated by the GPA for example, would be extremely effective and at the same time there wouldn't be a thing that the GAA overall could do about it because of the fact there are no contractual arrangements in place with the players or indeed the managers.

bucketybuck

ProudDUB wrote: »

Because it comes with the job. They shouldn't be allowed pick and choose what parts of it they don't want to do.

The job? You aren't really getting the OP's point are you?

nice_guy80

A good management setup in the GAA should have a media rep.
All media contacts for interviews, launches go through them.
It shields the players and management from intrusive requests from the media.

Boom__Boom

Personally i think Armagh are the only ones who've come out of this looking badly, and the longer it has gone on the more stupid they have looked. McGrimley bringing human rights in to the issue was the cherry on top. Seriously overblown language.

I'm sure there are GDOs on the ground in Armagh facepalming - rather than taking advantage of a golden opportunity to get positive press/PR off the back of a decent championship run, they are coming across as petulant and childish. In a competitive environment where talented youngsters have more choices than ever before in how to spend their leisure time, it's a bit of an own-goal in terms of retaining/attracting lads to the sport [much more likely to be retaining/preventing dropout]

I don't think the issue of money/professionalism has very much to do with this issue.

ProudDUB

bucketybuck wrote: »

The job? You aren't really getting the OP's point are you?

People refer to inter county managers having "the job" all the time. It is just a figure of speech. It doesn't mean that they get paid in the traditional sense, the way you do if you work in a bank or an office. I never said that they did.

Anyway, Grimley was perfectly willing and happy to fulfill the media duties that come with "the job" until his team started a brawl and got punished for it. Now he wants to throw his toys out of the pram because he doesn't like how the media covered the story. If people want to discuss that aspect of all this, that is fair enough.

But it is pure silliness to try and spin this media ban as something that he and the players are engaging in, because they don't have the time. They all had plenty of time to deal with the media, before they decided to play silly buggers at the parade before the Cavan game. But now they don't? Come on now. Lets call a spade a spade here.

bucketybuck

ProudDUB wrote: »

People refer to inter county managers having "the job" all the time. It is just a figure of speech. It doesn't mean that they get paid in the traditional sense, the way you do if you work in a bank or an office. I never said that they did.

Anyway, Grimley was perfectly willing and happy to fulfill the media duties that come with "the job" until his team started a brawl and got punished for it. Now he wants to throw his toys out of the pram because he doesn't like how the media covered the story. If people want to discuss that aspect of all this, that is fair enough.

But it is pure silliness to try and spin this media ban as something that he and the players are engaging in, because they don't have the time. They all had plenty of time to deal with the media, before they decided to play silly buggers at the parade before the Cavan game. But now they don't? Come on now. Lets call a spade a spade here.

What is your point?

The OP asked a question about whether the players as amateurs have an obligation to do media work. Ie: if the Armagh players don't want to talk to the media should they be taken to account and how so?

The fact that in the past the players may have gone along with the media requests isn't really relevant.

elefant

kippy wrote: »

1. It's not a job (especially for the players) - if it were they would expect some compensation for their time.

I'm believe that for publicity shoots and that sort of thing that the players do indeed get paid, and reasonably well.

I just heard this from someone involved in the sports media so don't have anything to back it up though.

kippy

bucketybuck wrote: »

What is your point?

The OP asked a question about whether the players as amateurs have an obligation to do media work. Ie: if the Armagh players don't want to talk to the media should they be taken to account and how so?

The fact that in the past the players may have gone along with the media requests isn't really relevant.

Thanks, thats exactly what I am trying to establish, as well as the wider implications should the GPA at some point us this type of a thing as a reason for some form of payment to players.

kippy

elefant wrote: »

I'm believe that for publicity shoots and that sort of thing that the players do indeed get paid, and reasonably well.

I just heard this from someone involved in the sports media so don't have anything to back it up though.

Yes, I am aware that players can get paid from various organisations for publicity at event and advertising campaigns and have done for a number of years. They don't get paid to deal with the press in their own time however or indeed for a lot of other stuff they do.

ProudDUB

bucketybuck wrote: »

What is your point?

The OP asked a question about whether the players as amateurs have an obligation to do media work. Ie: if the Armagh players don't want to talk to the media should they be taken to account and how so?

The fact that in the past the players may have gone along with the media requests isn't really relevant.

Of course it is relevant. Players and management were perfectly willing to talk to the media just two short months ago. Now they are not, because they are not being paid or because they don't have the time? That is sheer nonsense.

Players do get paid to do press events, such as this one that Kevin Dyas showed up to. They get paid very handsomely too. That is why most mgt set ups have different lads do different ones, so that the dosh gets spread around more evenly & not limited to one or two big super star names.

http://www.sportsfile.com/more-images/1407239/5000/

If a players decides not to do them because they can't get off work, or they have family commitments, or they are in college, that is totally understandable. If they just decide that they don't want to do them (such as our own Stephen Cluxton & Diarmuid Connolly) because they don't like talking to the media, that is totally understandable too. There are loads of other lads who are able to step up and do it in their absence. But for an entire squad of players not doing so, because their manager is acting like a petulant child, that is another thing entirely.

The OP also referenced inter county managers in their original post. That is why most of my points have been about managers, and not the players, as the Armagh manager is the source of all these media ban nonsense, not the players. If you want to know what my over all point is, go back and read my very first post on the matter. Yes, I do think that inter county managers have an obligation to speak to the media. In this day and age, it now comes with the territory, as there are so many other stake holders involved in keeping the whole shebang going. If they don't want to do that, or they want to set their own agenda, then they don't get the job. Simples.

bucketybuck

ProudDUB wrote: »

But for an entire squad of players not doing so, because their manager is acting like a petulant child, that is another thing entirely.

You keep repeating this petulant child thing, but the fact is that the players reasons for not doing media work is entirely irrelevant. They could be refusing on a whim or they could be refusing because they received death threats, it doesn't matter to the question of whether they have an obligation to do the media work.

If there is not an obligation, then the Armagh players can refuse to do the interviews for whatever reason they damn well please.

theoneeyedman

While the actions of the Armagh squad seem petty, in the end it's up to themselves whether they make themselves available or not. The only ones kicking up a fuss are media types who might have to do some work, rather than rehash clichéd soundbites from the Armagh squad.
It's also rich claiming they should be doing more and have obligations to promote the games etc. The 2 biggest games of the football championship thus far are placed behind a pay TV pay wall this week, which has a more detrimental effect on games promotion than any media siege will ever have

ardmacha

The press lied about the first game, when they implied that Armagh had started a brawl when in fact it was Cavan who did this. These lies influenced other comment on this event.

Everyone seems very concerned about media coverage. Armagh have not been on proper TV but only represented on Murdochs ripoff, so few people have seen them. This issue does not seem to be a concern to the GAA at all.

We have a situation here where entirely unaccountable people are well paid in national media to have a pulpit to rant and rave about amateur players who are supposed to do their job for them.

keane2097

Pretty easy to solve this in the vanishingly unlikely event it ever became a real issue, the GAA just tell the county that they have players willing to fulfil press dates or they don't get Central Council funding.

kippy

keane2097 wrote: »

Pretty easy to solve this in the vanishingly unlikely event it ever became a real issue, the GAA just tell the county that they have players willing to fulfil press dates or they don't get Central Council funding.

Where exactly in the rules of the game is that allowed for?

keane2097

kippy wrote: »

Where exactly in the rules of the game is that allowed for?

They could just make it a rule. Refuse to do interviews and have a % of your funding commensurate with the TV money withheld. Super simple stuff.

It will never be an issue anyway.

kippy

keane2097 wrote: »

They could just make it a rule. Refuse to do interviews and have a % of your funding commensurate with the TV money withheld. Super simple stuff.

It will never be an issue anyway.

You reckon that rule will be voted on by council and passed.....

"Hey guys, we're basicilly linking your central council funding to the amount of media that you do. We're not going to define how much media is required, nor how many players/what players/management need to interact or how they do so. Instead we'll have an arbitary way to assess this. Oh yeah, and even though its in your own time, you wont get a penny for it........."

Yeah, that'll pass..........

It'll be an issue if and when the GPA decide to push for additional funding/greater recognition of the time taken by their members to appease the media interest and as such commercial revenue (that they see nothing of) these media interests make to the sport.

keane2097

kippy wrote: »

You reckon that rule will be voted on by council and passed.....

"Hey guys, we're basicilly linking your central council funding to the amount of media that you do. We're not going to define how much media is required, nor how many players/what players/management need to interact or how they do so. Instead we'll have an arbitary way to assess this. Oh yeah, and even though its in your own time, you wont get a penny for it........."

Yeah, that'll pass..........

It'll be an issue if and when the GPA decide to push for additional funding/greater recognition of the time taken by their members to appease the media interest and as such commercial revenue (that they see nothing of) these media interests make to the sport.

We'll see I suppose.

bruschi

ardmacha wrote: »

The press lied about the first game, when they implied that Armagh had started a brawl when in fact it was Cavan who did this. These lies influenced other comment on this event.

Everyone seems very concerned about media coverage. Armagh have not been on proper TV but only represented on Murdochs ripoff, so few people have seen them. This issue does not seem to be a concern to the GAA at all.

We have a situation here where entirely unaccountable people are well paid in national media to have a pulpit to rant and rave about amateur players who are supposed to do their job for them.

the root of all this, the parade brawl, and I still cant understand how there was such a huge difference in the reaction and follow up of both Cavan and Armagh. Cavan manager came out after and said it wasnt good, they got a fine and had players suspended and didnt appeal. Most Cavan supporters were disappointed that their players rose to the bait and condoned the actions of their team.

yet the Armagh management and players came out denying firstly anything was wrong, and appealed all thrown against them. Their supporters still to now claim that Armagh did nothing wrong and were this poor oppressed team that were attacked. And they are having a media ban because of what? The reporting on the incident? They still think people care about it, and that they are the only county who the GAA hit with fines or suspensions. No one cares. The incident happened, Armagh were at fault as were Cavan, but move on. Everyone else has. It was forgotten about once the next round of games were played.

Play the game, stop playing these silly mind games and trying to create this chip on the shoulder everyone is against us attitude. Its doing ye no favours at all.

Trying to say players have to give up time for media gigs or whatever is rubbish too. Players use their profile for their own benefit. By doing media stuff, they get their name out there and there are more than a few players who have got jobs off the back of having a media profile. Its as much in their interest as anything. They dont have to do it, but in a panel of 30 players, it would be rare to not be able to have one player do some sort of interview. And in a lot of these media gigs, they get a payment for them too.

Whether people like it or not, managers have an obligation to be presentable to media. They shouldnt have to do it 24/7, but a scheduled media call in the week leading up to a high profile quarter final game is not beyond expectation.

kippy

keane2097 wrote: »

We'll see I suppose.

We will.


I think it's something that will rear its' head more and more over the next few years (attempting to knock a square peg into a round hole - in relation to the existence of an Amateur sport in a Professional context)
While other stations have paid for the rights over the years, Skys emergence as a rights holder, depending on how it works out, will, in my opinion lead to issues regarding players questioning the amateur side of what they are doing.
On one had you have rights holders who want to see and hear as much as possible from county setups, and the staff of said country setups not getting a thing for it.

ardmacha

The main thing any team does is play for 70 mins, everything else is frippery. If it were such a "high profile" game then it would be on TV where people could watch it.

bruschi

ardmacha wrote: »

The main thing any team does is play for 70 mins, everything else is frippery. If it were such a "high profile" game then it would be on TV where people could watch it.

A quarter final live on TV is a high profile game. Surely Armagh arent so far up their own opinion that they dont think a quarter final of the championship is not a high profile game.

castletownman

What I find incredible about the whole furore is that their anger towards the media was borne out of the fallout from the pre-match scuffle in the Cavan game. Yes they were the scapegoats but to be fair they didn't really have a leg to stand on in regards of feeling victimised.

However, since then most media outlets have been nothing but complimentary of Armagh's championship campaign, from they bringing Monaghan to a replay, beating Tyrone in Omagh and looking comfortable in beating Meath in Croker last week. Their style of play was highly praised by the Sunday Game panel last weekend, and their kicking pass game is as good as any team in the country at the moment.

In fact had they being more accommadating towards the media, they would have been hyped as the team the neutral would like to see win (particularly with Donegal up next). But their childishness towards the media means that there's still a barrier there*

*I'm speaking as a member of the media and thus am abhorred by their siege mentality.

copacetic

ardmacha wrote: »

The press lied about the first game, when they implied that Armagh had started a brawl when in fact it was Cavan who did this. These lies influenced other comment on this event.

Everyone seems very concerned about media coverage. Armagh have not been on proper TV but only represented on Murdochs ripoff, so few people have seen them. This issue does not seem to be a concern to the GAA at all.

We have a situation here where entirely unaccountable people are well paid in national media to have a pulpit to rant and rave about amateur players who are supposed to do their job for them.

Opinion isn't 'lies'. A lot of people (probably the large majority) were of the opinion that Armagh started the trouble by knowingly lining up behind the wrong flag and refusing to move. The vast majority of the press reports have the same opinion. Along with pointing out the funny coincidence that a number of Armagh games turn into brawls in the first couple of minutes and they laughable comments but the Armagh management that nothing happened anyway.

It's all fair comment and most people outside of Armagh would think absolutely true.

Sheldons Brain

In fact had they being more accommadating towards the media, they would have been hyped as the team the neutral would like to see win (particularly with Donegal up next). But their childishness towards the media means that there's still a barrier there*

I'm sure being "hyped up" would be no help to them actually beating Donegal.

zetecescort

Don't know why anybody would want to hear what players from Ulster have to say anyway. They way they go on you'd swear they had 15 or 20 All Ireland's each instead of 1 or 2.

Sheldons Brain

Don't know why anybody would want to hear what players from Ulster have to say anyway

SInce 1990 5 Ulster counties have won the football All Ireland, or more than half the province. Compare this with 5 from the rest of the country, reflecting the joke nature of their provincial championships. Without Ulster teams the whole thing would be a joke.

zetecescort

The only joke is playing 15 behind the ball and telling us they are revolutionising Gaelic football, Down of 91 and 94 the exception.

Mardy Bum

Armagh up to their usual antics again today. GAA should have hit them with longer suspensions but didn't and they think they can get away with anything now.

Dirty Dingus McGee

I think Paul Grimley has lost it

http://www.hoganstand.com/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=222107

Grimley wants Croke Park to 'regulate' media
10 August 2014

Paul Grimley has called on the GAA to impose restrictions on the media.

The Armagh manager made the call after ending his self-imposed vow of silence in the wake of his side's narrow All-Ireland SFC quarter-final loss to Donegal. The 'media ban' had been in place since before the Orchard County's Ulster SFC opener against Cavan on June 8.

"I would suggest that Croke Park regulates the media from here on in because, I know you have a job to do and that's to be respected. I'm not being disrespectful for the sake of it, I'm being disrespectful at this time to people who disrespect us," he said.

"What I'm saying to you is that, whenever I get a phone call at three or four in the afternoon or 11 in the morning, you're nearly expected to take that call. What I'm saying now is that maybe in the future it is going to have to be regulated in some way."

Grimley claims Armagh decided to extend their controversial blackout after an "ugly side of the media appeared."

He continued: "We took a stance towards the media and the media took a nasty approach to this. An ugly side of the media appeared, so it only enforced the decision that we made to keep that going.

"It became a situation where, because we had a right to keep our own counsel and we weren't winning favour with the media for doing that, then they started into, as I've said, schoolboyish-type insults and stuff like that towards myself, towards the team and towards the county board.

"That's not acceptable to anybody. You don't do it to professionals, I can assure you."

nice_guy80

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

I think Paul Grimley has lost it

http://www.hoganstand.com/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=222107

Grimley wants Croke Park to 'regulate' media
10 August 2014

Paul Grimley has called on the GAA to impose restrictions on the media.

The Armagh manager made the call after ending his self-imposed vow of silence in the wake of his side's narrow All-Ireland SFC quarter-final loss to Donegal. The 'media ban' had been in place since before the Orchard County's Ulster SFC opener against Cavan on June 8.

"I would suggest that Croke Park regulates the media from here on in because, I know you have a job to do and that's to be respected. I'm not being disrespectful for the sake of it, I'm being disrespectful at this time to people who disrespect us," he said.

"What I'm saying to you is that, whenever I get a phone call at three or four in the afternoon or 11 in the morning, you're nearly expected to take that call. What I'm saying now is that maybe in the future it is going to have to be regulated in some way."

Grimley claims Armagh decided to extend their controversial blackout after an "ugly side of the media appeared."

He continued: "We took a stance towards the media and the media took a nasty approach to this. An ugly side of the media appeared, so it only enforced the decision that we made to keep that going.

"It became a situation where, because we had a right to keep our own counsel and we weren't winning favour with the media for doing that, then they started into, as I've said, schoolboyish-type insults and stuff like that towards myself, towards the team and towards the county board.

"That's not acceptable to anybody. You don't do it to professionals, I can assure you."

silly man.
Armagh are sponsored by a communications company!
Most counties have a designated media liason person

Sheldons Brain

zetecescort wrote: »

The only joke is playing 15 behind the ball and telling us they are revolutionising Gaelic football, Down of 91 and 94 the exception.

Quite. We only have to look at the free flowing final of 1990, before odious Ulster defensiveness, with its sensational Cork 0–11 Meath 0–9 scoreline. Then when the Ulster (except Down) defensiveness came in we had the sterile scoreline of Derry 1–14 Cork 2–8. And once again the 1999 scorefest of Meath 1–11 Cork 1–8 had in a couple of years become Armagh 1–12 Kerry 0–14.