Disciplinary hearing over Douglas minor team suspensions delayed
Seventeen Douglas minor footballers, their five team mentors, and four club officials will not go before the Cork Hearings Committee this evening as the disciplinary body has deemed it necessary to convene a meeting with Rebel Óg East top-brass and leading Douglas officials before adjudicating on the 25 suspensions handed out.
The bans, which run from 12 weeks for the players to 48 for the Douglas team mentors and officials, were served by Rebel Óg East after 17 Douglas footballers played at two different minor grades - Premier 1 and Division 1 - this year.
Rebel Óg East has said that according to GAA rules, having played in the Premier 1 competitions, which are run by the Rebel Óg central committee, the Douglas players in question were not eligible to play at a lower grade - Division 1 - in the same season.
Douglas GAA are contesting all bans, but the respective hearings, scheduled for later today, have now been postponed.
In a letter to the Douglas senior section secretary, the Douglas underage secretary, and the secretary of Rebel Óg East, the Cork Hearings Committee has outlined its desire to meet with Aidan O’Connor (Douglas senior section chairman), Barry O’Donoghue (Douglas senior section secretary), Rebel Óg East chairman Sean Twohig and Rebel Óg East secretary Jer Bohane.
The letter states that a meeting is deemed necessary so to deal with a number of preliminary matters in advance of the full hearing.
