All eyes on All-Ireland pre-match as GAA faced with DJ Carey jubilee conundrum

Hurling legend DJ Carey pleaded guilty to 10 charges of fraud

Earlier this month, the legendary Kilkenny player pleaded guilty to 10 charges of defrauding individuals by falsely claiming he had cancer in order to obtain money.

Carey, a five-time All-Ireland champion, is regarded as one of the most successful and celebrated players in hurling history.

He admitted to dishonestly persuading people to give him money by fraudulently claiming he was suffering from cancer and needed funds for treatment. He was remanded on bail and is due to be sentenced on October 29th.

With this year marking the 25th anniversary of Kilkenny’s All-Ireland win over Offaly in 2000, a contest in which Carey was man of the match, all living players are due to be paraded on the pitch at half-time of Sunday’s All-Ireland final between Tipperary and Cork. 

Carey is unlikely to attend, but even those not in attendance traditionally have their name read out, followed by a description of their contribution to the team. For the GAA, in light of recent happenings, this would be awkward to say the least.

Neither the GAA nor the Kilkenny board have commented on plans for Sunday.

The jubilee presentation traditionally took place at half-time of the All-Ireland final, but this has now changed to pre-game. 

Last week, Carey’s ex-partner Sarah Newman spoke out about the scandal, insisting she had contacted Blackrock Garda to complain about Carey stealing from her, but  that this was never followed up by the police.

In a revealing interview with the Irish Independent, she states her belief that Carey’s subsequent fraudulent behaviour and lies could have stopped earlier.

She said: “That trauma could have been stopped. These victims should not have become his prey if the gardaí had taken proper notice of me when I made formal complaints back in 2012 about DJ’s conduct, lies and deception.

“They [my complaints] went untreated and there has been a black cloud over my judgment and reputation for many years, which I feel has now been lifted.

 “I don’t believe I was heard, and therein lies the problem. So I don’t feel any form of satisfaction or elation this weekend. I just feel desperately, desperately sad for the victims of his crimes.

“There are people who will have met me and taken statements from me over that period of time. And it is they who have to look at themselves. They know the truth and they had the facts and they did nothing about it.

“Sometimes the legal system fails people. Whether it’s domestic violence or a heinous criminal act, sometimes the judicial system gets it wrong. And that starts at grassroots with the gardaí when people make complaints. I think all over the world there are miscarriages of justice, there are people that get away with absolutely dreadful things — and I guess that’s just the way things are.”