CORK’S BELEAGUERED hurling manager Gerald McCarthy has announced his immediate resignation, citing a threat against his life as one of the reasons for his decision.
McCarthy, whose controversial appointment has caused a long-running and increasingly bitter players' strike, said: "A few days ago, my father, who is in his mid-80s, pleaded with me to step down after one of my sons, in my absence, received the latest threat against me.
"The threat against my life, which has been referred to the gardaí, is the latest in a sequence of threats and abuse, random or organised I do not know, which I and my family members have had to endure over the past few months," he continued in a statement last night.
McCarthy's resignation leaves the path clear for Cork's 2008 panel to return to the team. The hurlers had refused to play for McCarthy when he was reappointed as coach by the Cork county board last autumn.
McCarthy said the threat against his life was one of two tipping points for him in recent weeks. The other was the manner in which the players had responded to the death of his mother in recent weeks and "the apparent advice" to the players that they should not attend his mother's funeral.
That "has devastated my father and family and reflects a lack of human warmth that we will never understand", said McCarthy, adding that he and his family were greatly appreciative of the fact that some of the panel ignored that advice to attend and commiserated with him and his family.
The statement was issued on McCarthy's behalf last night after he travelled to Mallow to meet the 2009 panel, whom he had recruited when the 2008 players refused to play under him. McCarthy thanked the substitute players for the effort and commitment they had shown to the Cork cause over the past few months.
More than 10,000 supporters attended a protest march last month backing the 2008 players. The dispute threatened to escalate with the county's footballers warning that they would not play in the championship if the row was not resolved.
Two weeks ago, the 2008 players met chairmen and other officers of the county's 259 hurling and football clubs and, last Sunday night, the clubs came back after holding egms and backed a call by the 2008 hurlers for McCarthy's resignation by a resounding 193 votes to 0.
But last night, even in stepping down, McCarthy struck a defiant note. He said:"Hurlers should not have the right to appoint their own manager, veto the appointment of a manager, interview their own manager or pursue commercial interests at the expense of the broader GAA family. "
