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YESTERDAY, AN 18-year-old lost a case taken on his behalf by his parents, against his former football team.
The then-14-year-old Sean Cooke played for Carrigaline United in Cork, and it had been alleged that he suffered from post-traumatic stress and bullying after being dropped from the team.
Speaking to the Neil Prendeville Show on Cork’s Red FM, his father Declan said that the family had no regrets about taking the case.
Addressing the issue of being dropped from the team, Declan Cooke said that “it couldn’t be further from the truth” that they brought the court case for that reason alone.
He described how Sean had represented Carrigaline at the Kennedy cup level, and had been approached by scouts from English clubs who’d shown an interest in his abilities.
Declan referenced a disagreement he had with the coach of his son’s team, and said he raised his concerns at the club that Sean wouldn’t be treated fairly following this disagreement.
He said that he tried to get clearance to change teams but this wasn’t permitted by the league.
He couldn’t play from November 2012 for another nine months.
Declan said that being dropped from the team following the dispute with the coach had a very negative effect on Sean.
“He didn’t feel comfortable in those surroundings,” he said, after Sean was offered a chance to switch to the older age-group team.
When he eventually made the switch to a new team a year later, Declan said he impressed there but did not receive contact from overseas scouts.
The boy’s father alleged that bullying persisted from members of the club after Sean left Carrigaline, but this was dismissed in court.
This was not about a child not getting a game. This was never about Sean losing any opportunities.
When asked if Sean was simply not good enough to play for the team, his father rejected that, saying that he had started almost all of the other games the previous year.
He said that if the case was all about him being dropped from the team, they would have taken it years ago. It was due to the abuse he allegedly received after leaving the team that caused Sean to suffer from the post-traumatic stress which prompted the case.
Declan Cooke also denied that the case was “about money”.
Reading out a statement issued by Sean Cooke, the host Prendeville said: “My parents took this case on my behalf due to a two and half-year spell of consistent bullying.
I’m very proud of my parents for taking the stand for me. It was the right thing to do. It wasn’t about “not getting a game”.
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There is zero point to this channel.
Zero.
You need rennies indigestion tablets watching, it repeats so much.
“Out with the old in with the new” and they employ Pat Kenny
Without being snooty, soaps are the level of this channel.
What a pile off crap this station broadcast.
But you must watch it to know that it is a pile of crap!
@big willy- I don’t think that she claimed that she didn’t watch it, she was just pointing out it’s poor quality and I would have to agree with her!
@jason-I saw that after I had posted the comment and I was hoping nobody would spot my error!!! My bad Ger , sorry!
You must watch it to know it’s crap? Have you ever heard of schedule listings big willy?
In my opinion, it’s the worst change they could have made. Nearly everything is a repeat it’s a disgrace
Just don’t watch it then!
Programmes are repeated on television because you’re not supposed to sit watching it all day every day.
The only thing I bother watching on UTV Ireland is The Chase, and that didn’t even crack the top ten.
Their news is practically the same as RTÉ’s, though, I think, less bias.
I’m addicted to the chase
The presenters meme got me watching it on the UTV player. Still waiting for another fanny chmelar episode.
But I’d rather the chase on at 5pm so I can tape eggheads
big willy are you still using tapes?
A terrible & pointless channel, all repeats and filler. If it wasn’t for them taking the rights for soaps from TV3 it would be sinking already. Sooner it’s gone the better. UTV NI was much better.
Why watch it then?
If they didn’t get the soaps it would have never launched. UTV NI still exists btw.
I know it still exists and I’ve been in contact with UPC asking is there a way to re-programme the set top box to get UTV NI instead of UTV Ireland. They said not at the moment but they are receiving a lot of complaints about UTV ireland, so hopefully not long before we are able to choose to replace it.
UTV wont allow it on UPC again so you would be better off getting a satellite dish where it is available free of charge.
This is how the UTV Ireland scheduling meeting goes… “What crap have we got on the shelf over in England that we wouldn’t dare put on TV over there? Quick, send it to Ireland.”
I hate it.
A total waste of airwaves. And I can’t see any potential for improvement.
Why do you watch it then?
The farming program is quite good….from a non farmer perspective!!
Load of shite. BRING BACK UTV BRING BACK UTV BRING BACK UTV…………
1 film over 161hrs on air during the week , they purposely have put their news on at ten at night , not so it doesn’t clash with the RTE news but so they’re don’t have to show decent programs or films at this time .
I think they’ve overestimated how interested people are James Nesbitt’s Ireland. I assume it’s mostly like everyone else’s Ireland.
How long has this channel been on my subscription? And, more importantly, is there anyway to remove it from my subscription, along with TV3???
Pointless channel, I don’t even have an aerial or satellite dish on my house, I’ve fibre broadband, a Roku 3, Chromecast and Smart TV, I just stream everything from my Plex server to Chromecast and that’s all I need.
Well done?
Can you get utv?
How come you’re not using Kodi (Xbmc) ?
You realise this is a thread about utv viewing figures not a thread about who is the most hipster with their tv set up
Can I ask where you get your plex server from. Cheers
From https://plex.tv , I use both plex and xbmc, but find xbmc much better
I used to like Tv3 in the beginning but now it’s just as bad as rte there state puppets. So good luck to UTV ireland.
Tv3s morning show ireland am is a disgrace. A has been Dj /A woman with so marbles in her mouth she could fill a school yard/ And then alan Hughes still trying to be a teenager wtf. It’s tv try and be a little more professional
You type like a simpleton.
Andy – What have you got against simpletons?
Andy looks like a simpleton.
TV3 = Irish Water.
I’ll watch UTV.
Give the channel a chance. Negative bunch of naggers. We should be supportive and encouraging in its first months.
Whinging and moaning is the Irish way. We are becoming a nation of pathetic whinging losers.
Cant believe they dug up that program Benadorm, it makes me want to puke!
They didn’t dig up Benidorm, Colette…it’s series 7, bang up to date, and really funny. But there’s no accounting for taste, eh.
It’s programme
& of course more Denis the Menace approved editions of the ‘news’
Utv Ireland is crap showing repeats. If we wanted to watch crap tv we would watch rte. the only reason they have ratings for the soaps is because they cancelled it on tv3.
The news is great, far better than TV3 or RTE and with younger somewhat attractive presenters. The young guy with the blue eyes and the long eyelashes is brilliant!
Chris Donohue, isn’t it wayyyy passed your bed time?!!!!
Thousands are turning away from rte because they do not do proper reporting. switch to tv3,lot of companies wasting their money on advertising with rte.
Your right there Ally!
I know Colette!
Maybe if they had it as an equal to itv in uk and showed all same programmes then it’d be watched more. It should be called UTV Ireland +2 years. THEY DO KNOW ABOUT THE OTHER CHANNELS FEATURE ON SKY DONT THEY.
I watch it if it had lesser spotted ulster on it…
have your say