Mark McGovern: ‘I don’t want him to touch an O’Neills ball again’

what a great attitude by this young man..... God bless him and he is in my prayers...

Caoimhin 1937: With the situation in Ireland resulting in more young lads heading for the States,I sure hope they are lucky enough to read your post.I also can speak from experience as a player and manager of a club in the sixties and seventies. We may have even been on the same field as opponents, as we played McBrides several times.I can tell you they were one of the cleaner teams in Chicago.I also served in the US army,small world. clevelander: You are also correct,when you say, it is a much rougher game here, than in Ireland.But as you probably also know, not many young lads are concerned about that when some old paddy that should know better, offers them a ton of money to play for their club,with a job in the bargain.When you talk about by-laws.This brutality has been going on in the GAA since the game was first played in America.The fact is the game is run on the good old boy system in America.No rules,just who you know and who you play for.If you are a good player,and play for the wrong team,you will end up with some serious injuries.The county board needs to be held accountable for what happened to Danny McGovern,thats the only way the brutality will stop, in what is other wise the best and most skilled sport in the world.Colkelley:Sorry your lad got hurt playing soccer,hope he is ok.The Gaa or Irish football,as we call it,is a much different game than soccer.Without being trained to play Gaa,soccer players would not last five minutes on the field.I know,I once had five good soccer players badly hurt when i was short players in a GAA match my team had to play.I should have known better,but I was a lot younger then.

@collelley Gaelic Football is nothing like soccer, not even close, no comparison. @Coaimhin you are right the game in America is much rougher and the young Men coming out need to understand that. The 96 week ban was the longest and most severe penalty the Gaa In the States could give due to the regulations and by-laws on the books at the time. I am sure they will try and change it for the future.

There is nothing new in what happened to Mark McGovern playing Gaelic football in America. I know from experience, I played for McBride's football team in Chicago in the early 60s and the model was then that if you cannot get the ball, get the man. I was hurt twice, but not too bad. My friend Seamus from the St Mel's team in Chicago wanted me to play again. What saved me was that I was drafted in the army. Thinking back, I never felt so lucky. Young men coming out here to play football better be aware of what they are getting into. Most of the young fellow who play football for the home team here, in this case SF, are illegal and get paid good money. So young men, be aware.

Violence is accepted in American soccer as a means of making it possible for less-talented teams and players to compete against teams and players who out-perform them. My son was speared in the head with an elbow and knocked out for 30 seconds by someone running straight at him (he returned to the game in ten minutes and got two assists in retaliation thanks to his Irish hard head). He also had an intentional knee dislocation and an intentional bad tackle that rolled his left ankle and resulted in arthroscopic surgery. NONE of the players mentioned got so much as a yellow card. Players who are overtly violent should be banned for a season on first offense and banned permanently on second offense - they should also be prosecuted for criminal assault. Coaches who coach their teams to commit these acts should be permanently banned from ANY association with soccer. Soccer is a physically tough sport and injuries are common even when the game is played within established rules. Using violence to compensate for lack of ability should always end with a permanent ban.