Twelve Mayo ladies footballers who walked out of their inter-county panel have held a press conference to clarify their reasons for doing so.
The group of twelve players, which includes star forward Cora Staunton, captain Sarah Tierney and vice-captain Fiona MacHale, and two selectors say they did not walk out over selection issues.
They say they all left because of an "unhealthy and unsafe" environment which featured "a lack of communication, being undermined, intimidated, feeling isolated and eventually helpless in the entire situation".
The 12 players & 2 members of the backroom team who stepped away from the Mayo ladies football squad spoke for the first time as a group last night. Coming up on @morningireland pic.twitter.com/cgtuj3K5sc
— Jacqui Hurley (@jacquihurley) September 18, 2018
"Our reasons for stepping away from the Mayo panel were related to player welfare issues that were personal, and were sensitive," they said in a statement.
"Specifically, a number of players but most notably our captain Sarah Tierney has endured an extremely difficult relationship with the Mayo manager over the 2018 season.
WATCH | Departed Mayo Ladies on why they walked🎥
— Off The Ball (@offtheball) September 18, 2018
01.00- Fiona McHale
03.00- Statement
09.00- Sarah Tierney opens the press conference
13.00- Timeline
16.00- Reasons for departure
27.00- Tierney on how her relationship with manager Peter Leahy fell aparthttps://t.co/6JkoVpQJNu
"Ultimately our issues related to a lack of communication, being undermined, intimidated, feeling isolated and eventually helpless in the entire situation.
"The whole experience had a significant impact on our mental health.
"We used the terms ‘unhealthy’ and ‘unsafe’ and accept, and take responsibility for the implications of this language but for us, these are relevant terms and stepping away was the right decision.
"We will be judged for our decision but this was extremely important to us and something we had to take a stand on."
‘To brush this aside as feelings, I’m astounded’ - former Mayo Ladies selector Denise McDonagh speaks out #rtegaa pic.twitter.com/Z0wZjEF08n
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) September 18, 2018
They added that dismissing their issues "as ‘feelings’ is extremely unhelpful and careless... This decision was not taken lightly and our intention was never to cause upset for anyone rather to protect the wellbeing of each other."
The players who stayed on in the Mayo squad released a statement earlier this month backing their manager Peter Leahy, denying the existence of any player welfare issues and saying there had been a "failed coup".
Leahy spoke on The GAA Hour last week, and put the departures down to selection issues.
"It was about selection. It was, ‘oh my feelings are hurt’. It was a feelings situation," he said.
"If we start talking about feelings, we'd be a long time trying to get a team out onto the pitch"
— The GAA Hour (@TheGAAHour) September 13, 2018
Peter Leahy on the Mayo players saying their feelings were hurt.
Full interview w/ @paddypower 👇
Soundcloudhttps://t.co/22qY7ZWZrs
iTuneshttps://t.co/p7ol1gUXnf pic.twitter.com/pabsq0cmdK
"Safety was mentioned last week and I have to protect my management team.
"We have a liaison officer there so if there is an unsafe situation, they have to be contacted. She has never heard a word about unsafe.
"These are close to slanderous accusations being put out there. It is not fair on my management team.
"If somebody wants to come out and say, Peter Leahy did x, y, and z, I’d welcome it. It has to be put out in the public domain at this point."
The players who have left the panel said not everyone on the panel would have experienced or witnessed the issues, and they were not addressed fully with the rest of the panel.
More from Sarah Tierney on the 12 players + 2 management personnel who left Mayo panel on 9am sport on Ireland AM pic.twitter.com/QsxfhVNTmC
— Sinéad Kissane (@sineadkissane) September 18, 2018
They further state that opportunities for mediation were hindered.
"When we raised our issues they were dismissed, when mediation failed we were let go and now we feel we are being portrayed as weak, hysterical, hyper sensitive people when in reality we made a choice for ourselves, and felt strong enough to do so.
"What does the reaction say to people who want to ever speak up, who ever want to raise an issue that this is how we handle it?
"We must be able to tell all players that their opinions, their feelings and their experiences matter. We must be able to listen when they have a problem with structures in place. We must not publicly shame them or indeed ban them from doing what they love before we hear what they have to say properly and before we consider player welfare in its truest sense."
The walkout, which features eight players from Carnacon, saw the Mayo champions kicked out of the county championship by the County Board. That decision was overturned on appeal but that, too, is being appealed by the Mayo Board.
Today's players' statement added: "One of the saddest outcomes of the whole thing is that there has been a serious strain put on friendships."