NICHOLAS Walsh has hit out at the “negative people” who laid into Tyrone AFL star Conor McKenna after he was reported to have tested positive for covid-19, only to yesterday get the all-clear.
Speaking to The Irish News on Monday night in between the positive test and the subsequent test on Tuesday that returned a negative reading, Walsh defended McKenna’s actions and said some of the criticism was “too extreme”.
Shock-jock radio host Ray Hadley said after news of the reported positive test broke on Sunday that the AFL season “is on tenterhooks” and “will be a basket case because of the stupidity of one person”.
McKenna, who has continually struggled with homesickness and has always spoken of his desire to come home and play for Tyrone, was accused of ignoring protocols by attending an open home inspection and ‘visiting family and friends’.
There was widespread criticism yesterday of the AFL’s failure to protect McKenna’s identity during the preliminary stages of the investigation, with fellow Irish player Conor Glass tweeting: “Absolutely shocking behaviour on how this situation was handled!! Surely some sort of confidentiality comes in to play. Not one thought was given to how the player might feel from having the entire football media and fans getting on his back!”
Former Cavan star Walsh, whose role now involves looking after the mental health of AFL coaches, said that even before his negative test came back, the lines were blurred in terms of what McKenna was supposed to have done.
“We were sharing text messages [on Sunday] and he had no symptoms and was in a good place. You have to worry about his wellbeing, number one how he’s coping mentally. It would be a lonely place right now.
“He’s been on his own for a few days, self-isolating and worried about results. I’m not sure what he’s looking at on social media and hearing in the media, I suspect he’s switched that off to the world.
“There’s a lot of negative people in the world, people talking about him taking down the competition and extremes like this.
“Talking about protocols, one minute you’re not allowed to surf, the next minute you are. Reports are saying he was viewing an open house inspection to essentially get a new place to live.
“The protocols for that are murky – it says if you’re buying the house, you can view an open inspection, but it doesn’t say anything if you’re renting. It’s a bit of a grey area.
“As of [Sunday] night, they [were] looking at whether it’s a false positive test. And if it is that, no-one has anything to worry about and everything that’s been thrown at him on social media, and written in the media… The [host] in Sydney Radio saying it’s a disgrace what he’s done, claiming all sorts, it’s just too extreme.
“You have to look after the young kid number one. The number one thing is that he’s safe and well, and he is.”
Walsh also revealed that one of the alleged breaches McKenna was publically hammered for was going to visit his former host family.
“It’s reported he went to visit an old host family, who are like a second family to him.
“One of the protocols here is that you’re allowed to visit immediate family – so why couldn’t Conor McKenna be given an exemption?
“Even though they’re not blood, he lived with them for two or three years here and it’s one of those things that helps him cure his homesickness.
“What’s the difference in that and any other player going to visit their mother and father?
“We all get homesick. I’m here 11 years and there’s still bouts that you get. We’re only human, at the end of the day.”
