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Tyrone footballer Cathal McCarron pulled from Late Late Show line-up

Cathal McCarron had been due to speak on the Late Late Show about about his recovery from gambling addiction as part of publicity obligations with publishers
Cathal McCarron had been due to speak on the Late Late Show about about his recovery from gambling addiction as part of publicity obligations with publishers Cathal McCarron had been due to speak on the Late Late Show about about his recovery from gambling addiction as part of publicity obligations with publishers

TYRONE footballer Cathal McCarron's appearance on the this weekend's Late Late Show has been cancelled.

In a statement to the Irish News, RTE said it has not yet finalised Friday's line-up, but McCarron would not be a part of it.

A spokesman said: "I can confirm that Cathal McCarron will not be appearing on this week's show. RTÉ will not be commenting further."

The decision to remove the 2016 GAA All-Star nominee from the line-up comes just days after the father of a 15-year-old McCarron met through Tinder, voiced his outrage at the scheduled interview.

In an interview last Friday the Kildare man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said he felt like the Tyrone footballer was cashing in on the meeting with his daughter.

"To write the book so soon after the incident and to not express any remorse. What does that tell you? It feels like he wants to cash in on what he’s done," he said.

“I rang RTE and all other stations and begged them not to do any interviews with him. I emailed the complaints department at RTE but all I got was a letter confirming the receipt of my email."

McCarron, who met the girl last year, said in his book he did not realise she was underage when they arranged to meet using the mobile dating app.

In July of this year the Director of Public Prosecutions decided not to prosecute the GAA star over the case.

McCarron, who last week released his tell-all autobiography 'Out of Control', had been due to speak about his recovery from gambling addiction as part of publicity obligations with publishers.

The appearance on the Late Late Show had attracted controversy as it was to come in direct conflict with an unofficial boycott of RTÉ by Tyrone GAA.

Tyrone manager Mickey Harte has not spoken to RTÉ since 2011 when an insensitive radio sketch was broadcast just months after the murder of his daughter Michaela on honeymoon in Mauritius.

Members of the Tyrone senior squad have also boycotted the state broadcaster.

McCarron took to Twitter on last week to say his appearance would not be in contravention to the boycott.

He wrote: "I would like to clarify that my appearance on the Late Late Show on Friday week is entirely my decision and has nothing to do with Mickey Harte and the Tyrone senior football squad's continued withdrawal of cooperation with RTE.

"This is a completely separate issue to me appearing on the show to speak about my autobiography 'Out of Control'."

Last week McCarron was ordered by a Dublin court to pay €500 to a homeless charity following a row with staff at a Dublin city centre pub back in May.

'Out of Control', written with Irish News contributor Christy O’Connor, was released last week