KERRY FOOTBALLER Tadhg Kennelly has given an impassioned response to last weekend’s disclosure that he had deliberately fouled Cork midfielder Nicholas Murphy in the opening seconds of the All-Ireland final, claiming on his “solemn word” that he “did not and would never intentionally go out to hurt another footballer”.

In a sensitively-worded statement, Kennelly is adamant the comments from his coming autobiography were hugely misrepresentative and that the first he saw of them were in last Sunday’s newspaper excerpts – by then too late to change.

“The controversy arising from the incident involving Nicholas Murphy in the All-Ireland final and an account of which was published in the Sunday Independent has devastated both me and my family,” he said. “I have been publicly vilified and I want to tell the truth.

“I admit I have made a mistake and a big one. I should never have allowed the piece regarding the incident with Nicholas to be described in the fashion it was . . .

“I gave an interview to the Australian ghost writer Scotty Gallon just a couple of days after the All-Ireland. I didn’t read it over as I should have, and the first account I saw of the incident was on last Sunday morning.

“Scotty used an expression ‘cop that’ to describe my feelings immediately after I connected with Nicholas. I said no such thing. I’m sure Nicholas can confirm that, and, yes, I did explain to him what happened after the match.

“The Wednesday after the All-Ireland was a rush. We had a deadline to meet. Books don’t get formatted and printed overnight. I was on a high and the last thing I wanted was to talk to Scotty over the phone. Looking back on it, I should have read a proof of the finished chapter. I didn’t and I paid the price. My fault 100 per cent.”

Kennelly then outlined what he claims is the true account of the incident: “It was my first AllIreland final and I was very emotional. Maybe too much so. I admit I did intend to get physically stuck in right from the start.

“I didn’t plan to tackle any particular Cork man, but I did intend to shoulder charge an opponent immediately the opportunity arose. Shoulder is the key word. On my solemn word, I did not and would never intentionally go out to hurt another footballer. The challenge, I admit, was over the top. I was too pumped up.

“The words ‘while I hadn’t wanted to come in and seriously injure anyone I was determined to make a statement’ were not included in the extract from the book even though this sentence followed on. That one line would have clarified my intentions, but it was not included in the piece.

“I cannot believe this happened. The piece was totally unbalanced due to the omission. At no stage did I know the extract was going in the paper. No one told me. I was stupid and naive but I did not deliberately go out to hurt Nicholas.

“Let me also clarify Paul Galvin had absolutely nothing to do with my plan. We agreed to get stuck in, but you’d want to be mad to take a player out of it deliberately in the first minute of an All-Ireland final. Where’s the sense in that?

“This is the worst few days since my dad died. I desperately wanted to win an All-Ireland for him, not for me. I wouldn’t go out to deliberately do anything to sully his memory or the good name of Kerry football. And I never have. I’m not that type of footballer.

“Finally, I sincerely apologise to all Kerry supporters and our management team if I have in any way caused distress.”