So the IFA has ended up paying out €1.9m to Pat Smith. It had little choice but to settle. It would have been rolling the dice with the reputation and the finances of the association to have risked two court cases.
The reality is that Pat Smith has had the high moral ground ever since the day after Eddie Downey resigned.
Following Downey’s departure during a 19-hour marathon executive meeting, comments that the IFA would fight the severance deal quickly hardened significantly.
It was always likely that such a change of stance from the initial announcement of his resignation would have been hard to explain in court, particularly when all of the main players were in the room the previous Friday (the day after Pat Smith resigned), when Eddie Downey received a vote of endorsement without dissent from any of them.
In fairness, there were extenuating circumstances.
That 19-hour marathon meeting left everyone physically and emotionally shattered. The revelation of the size of the severance package and the resignation of Eddie Downey both occurred during that meeting.
Perhaps if it were all being done again, everyone should have been sent home to their farms and a 48-hour radio silence adopted to allow a little breathing space to recharge the batteries and take stock of all that had happened.
Storm Emma and the beast from the east have put paid to any possibility of Eddie Downey addressing the executive council this week, as he has requested (see page 8).
Closure
Downey suffered and naturally wants closure. The reality, though, is that one man’s closure could be another’s can of worms.
We can never know all the truth, but the IFA decision to settle may give credence to the central plank of Downey’s stance.
Downey did speak at Monday’s Meath IFA AGM. He spoke at length and was strong and clear – listen into the podcast below for a taste or two.
This account, and the widespread coverage it is now receiving, may prove to be enough. He certainly remains a man of standing and status in his own county.
When two neighbours have a fender-bender, their account of events will differ. The truth is that we will never know the truth of what happened.
It’s also true it’s not just Downey who has to live with the consequences. Tim O’Leary, James McCarthy and Tom Turley all lost their positions, and a shadow was cast over many previous tenures of significant figures of the past.
Read more
Timeline: the IFA, Pat Smith and everything in between
Editorial: sorry saga ends with IFA-Smith settlement
So the IFA has ended up paying out €1.9m to Pat Smith. It had little choice but to settle. It would have been rolling the dice with the reputation and the finances of the association to have risked two court cases.
The reality is that Pat Smith has had the high moral ground ever since the day after Eddie Downey resigned.
Following Downey’s departure during a 19-hour marathon executive meeting, comments that the IFA would fight the severance deal quickly hardened significantly.
It was always likely that such a change of stance from the initial announcement of his resignation would have been hard to explain in court, particularly when all of the main players were in the room the previous Friday (the day after Pat Smith resigned), when Eddie Downey received a vote of endorsement without dissent from any of them.
In fairness, there were extenuating circumstances.
That 19-hour marathon meeting left everyone physically and emotionally shattered. The revelation of the size of the severance package and the resignation of Eddie Downey both occurred during that meeting.
Perhaps if it were all being done again, everyone should have been sent home to their farms and a 48-hour radio silence adopted to allow a little breathing space to recharge the batteries and take stock of all that had happened.
Storm Emma and the beast from the east have put paid to any possibility of Eddie Downey addressing the executive council this week, as he has requested (see page 8).
Closure
Downey suffered and naturally wants closure. The reality, though, is that one man’s closure could be another’s can of worms.
We can never know all the truth, but the IFA decision to settle may give credence to the central plank of Downey’s stance.
Downey did speak at Monday’s Meath IFA AGM. He spoke at length and was strong and clear – listen into the podcast below for a taste or two.
This account, and the widespread coverage it is now receiving, may prove to be enough. He certainly remains a man of standing and status in his own county.
When two neighbours have a fender-bender, their account of events will differ. The truth is that we will never know the truth of what happened.
It’s also true it’s not just Downey who has to live with the consequences. Tim O’Leary, James McCarthy and Tom Turley all lost their positions, and a shadow was cast over many previous tenures of significant figures of the past.
Read more
Timeline: the IFA, Pat Smith and everything in between
Editorial: sorry saga ends with IFA-Smith settlement
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