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Davy Fitz explains emotions after winning battle for clarification over reports
Davy Fitzgerald says he is happy to be vindicated after a clarification was published in a Sunday newspaper over reports from 2021 over his time as Clare manager and the hurling supporters' club.
Fitzgerald's legal team posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, 'Pleased to secure this important clarification on behalf of our client Davy Fitzgerald. Integrity is critical in sporting and public life and Mr Fitzgerald is satisfied that his good name and reputation stands vindicated'.The post also included a statement from the Sunday Independent that read: 'In March 2021 a series of articles were published in the Sunday Independent concerning Clare hurling, two of which included references to David Fitzgerald, former Clare manager, and his 2018 biography, At All Costs.'Those articles reported on potential divisions in Clare hurling, and the separation between Clare County Board and the hurling supporters' club active between 2012 and 2016, including extracts from Mr Fitzgerald's biography.'Medahuis, publisher of the Sunday Independent, is happy to clarify that, in discussing those subjects, the articles did not contain, not were they intended to contain, a suggestion of dishonesty on Mr Fitzgerald's part'.Speaking about the clarification yesterday, the current Antrim boss admitted it was a "big thing personally" after a four year ordeal for himself and his family.
Fitzgerald explained: "To have to wake up on a number of Sunday mornings and read stuff that affects you and your family, and for there to be insinuated certain things against you, is hard to take.
"But I made a decision there and then that I wasn't going to let that go. Some of my friends have said to me, 'We know what the story is, don't bother'."I couldn't let that go and I'd like to thank my legal team, who were absolutely unreal for the last three or four years. I'm happy with the vindication. I'm happy it's done."Did it hurt? There are probably two things that hurt me in the last number of years. That was one of them. When some people would actually think that that might be true, some of the stuff that was insinuated, that was terrible. "But I'm glad that it's out there. It was tough not to deal with it at the time, to come out roaring and screaming, but I wanted more than that."My legal team knew everything and they were very happy to go as long as it took to do it. I'm delighted for the family as well that people get to see that side and it means a lot to me."Fitzgerald's father, Pat, stepped down as Clare secretary in 2022, a year after taking a civil case against a social media website. Davy revealed that his father had intended to step down in 2018 to pursue another opportunity but had to stay in his role because of the case.
"I would have actually loved to see him gone then and he probably would have himself, but he's happy," said Fitzgerald. "I think he kind of said on Sunday that, 'Do you know what now, that's that'."
And the former All-Ireland winning goalkeeper agrees with that sentiment. "It's just nice for people to know what the story is because when stuff is put out there and you wake up on a Sunday morning and you and your family are reading stuff, that's not right," Fitzgerald said.
"I think you can see it with me, I'm not actually bitter or anything like that anymore. I'm just glad it's done. It's over now. And that small little group of people, some of the things that were done, not good."Fitzgerald also mentioned the hurt he felt when, while in charge of Wexford in 2020 against Clare, he says he "got absolutely abused personally" by a member of the Clare backroom team."That's not right," he said. "No one should have to put up with that. And it was during Covid, some of my friends said to me afterwards that you could hear it on the television."I suppose the only thing on that day was nearly every single member of the Clare team came up to me afterwards and shook my hand, which meant the world to me."The one thing I said to myself afterwards about these two things is that it's only a very small minority, a few powerful people, that were probably behind this campaign."I look at the supporters in Clare, the Clare players, they're absolutely top class. The clubs in Clare, top class. I've benefited from the clubs in Clare, I won an All-Ireland because the clubs in Clare did their job and I'm so proud."But that did hurt. That campaign hurt. That clarification meant the world because you don't get them too easily, I can tell you that."But you know what? It's done. It's closed. I want to forget about it now. I'm happy with that. But it's over now and it's move on. But I'm delighted to have persisted with it, to have got that."
*Davy Fitzgerald was speaking at the launch of the 24th annual Circet All-Ireland GAA Golf Challenge in aid of GAA-related charities at Michael Lyng Motors (Ford) in Kilkenny
