Galway county board chairperson Paul Bellew says there was no approach for Mickey Graham when he was Leitrim manager.
Graham was confirmed as a new coach for the Galway senior footballers last night. Graham having stepped down as Leitrim manager for personal reasons last month.
However, Galway chairperson Bellew refuted suggestions they approached Graham while he was still Leitrim manager.
“We are fully aware of how it looks,” Bellew told the Irish Examiner. “From our perspective to be categorical about it from the outset, coaches move around. Pádraic would never target a manager from another county. We wouldn’t stand over it”.
“As a county chairperson or a management committee. We know how it will be interpreted. Mickey’s availability had nothing to do with the coaching vacancy in Galway”.
“That is clear. Pádraic has actually been talking to a number of coaches over the last few weeks” Bellew added. “He was keeping me updated on that. The opportunity presented itself for Mickey to get involved as Pádraic changed things up”.
“I have spoken to Leitrim as well, because I am aware of the narrative around it” added Bellew. “It was made clear we didn’t approach Mickey while he was manager and that was accepted.”
Graham was part of Joyce’s Connacht backroom team for the interprovincial series in Croke Park last weekend.
“The first thing I said to Pádraic about this is that we know how this will look but that is not a good enough reason not to do it because that’s not what happened. Categorically, we didn’t approach Mickey Graham while he was Leitrim's manager”.
“We know we have to listen to the pub talk and social media element, I get that, but I can only vouch for what did happen from myself and Padraic’s perspective”.
