An extraordinary statement issued on his behalf this week isn’t the most significant aspect of the controversy that has engulfed Ger Brennan through much of his short time in charge of the Dublin footballers.
That in itself is remarkable, because the long defence of Brennan via his solicitor is a relatively rare phenomenon nowadays.
Time was when disciplinary controversies scarred the Championship summer — and not a few of them involved Dublin, inevitably given their status as one of the biggest names in Gaelic games.
Removed: Ger Brennan watching from the stand after he was sent off against Galway in March
The county have had their share of last-gasp appeals exhausting the disciplinary mechanisms of the GAA, most famously perhaps when Diarmuid Connolly got a late-night reprieve hours before an All-Ireland semi-final replay against Mayo in 2015.
Then there was Jim Gavin’s bizarre statement about the rights of a citizen in the republic, that address prompted by a different Connolly ruckus.
Other counties have figured, too, with Westmeath’s dreamy summer this year prompting inevitable harks back to 2004 when they won the Leinster Championship.
But their cause that summer was aided by the county going to the High Court to ensure Rory O’Connell escaped a ban to feature in the provincial final.
That is often cited as the example that prompted the overhaul of the GAA’s disciplinary architecture, especially with the institution of the Disputes Resolution Authority (DRA) as a final appeals’ route.
And it has largely worked, with general acknowledgement that the process is now not only more streamlined but also generally recognised for its fairness.
This controversy, however, threatens that perception of the GAA justice system.
Not happy: Dublin backroom member Niall Moyna spoke out strongly on Morning Ireland
The strength of sentiment expressed in Brennan’s statement, following the clear disgruntlement of Niall Moyna on Morning Ireland , and following an apparent boycott of media duties on two occasions this year, most recently last Sunday against Louth, has engendered little sympathy for the Dublin team or their manager beyond the county bounds.
That’s beside the point, however, because two developments have turned what appeared an open-and-shut case into a rolling drama that could still have more to run.
The first was the decision of the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) not to take action following the incidents at half time in the Kerry-Donegal game.
By common consensus, Jim McGuinness got away with a clear push on Diarmuid O’Connor in that match, and the post-game reaction of the Donegal manager suggested that he was at least aware of the risk of retrospective punishment.
No suspension: Donegal manager Jim McGuinness was not sanctioned after the Kerry game
The decision of the CCCC was based on the referee’s report, and it was this that led to the second development, and the one that seems to have really infuriated Dublin.
And that was the intervention of Jarlath Burns. He defended the handling of the Kerry-Donegal row at the launch of the All-Ireland Championship on Tuesday, but in doing so he not only nettled the Dubs, but he raised eyebrows elsewhere, too.
In particular, Burns’ contention that it is ‘embarrassing’ for the CCCC to take a case and lose it has angered Dublin but has repercussions beyond that.
The risk of looking silly shouldn’t be a factor in how disciplinary matters are adjudicated, but Burns’ clumsy language implied as much.
‘They (the CCCC) have to be cognisant of that because there’s nothing more embarrassing than something done in good faith by CCCC and then losing it at hearings,’ he said.
A reasonable reading of that makes clear he was arguing that a high threshold should be reached by the CCCC before they decide to take a case.
It would appear they believed that such a threshold would not be met had they taken action against McGuinness.
Two points emerge from this. The first is that the rule under which Brennan was suspended needs amending, because for all of Dublin’s anger, it’s hard not to think they are justified in much of it.
He has missed four Championship matches while serving a 12-week ban, which expires the day before they play Cavan on Sunday week.
It’s worth noting too that, inadvertently or not, Dublin unhappiness is distracting from the team’s dire straits, and the consequences for a struggling group of their manager getting himself banned, no matter how punitive the suspension.
Under scrutiny: GAA president Jarlath Burns has faced criticism for his recent comments
The second point is that match specific-bans should be introduced for any suspension involving a person involved in a match-day set-up, including back-room figures.
It’s been a while since there was a spat like this one, and it stirs not-so-fond memories of dashes to the High Court and opaque machinations by nameless figures in windowless rooms.
Matters have improved considerably since then, but the past week has been a blow for how justice is seen to be applied.
And that’s not just Dublin’s paranoia talking.
