LAOIS DEFENDER PADRAIG McMahon last night issued a statement to clarify his reasons for leaving the county’s football panel.

The news of McMahon’s exit broke on Sunday when manager Tomas O’Flatharta explained the reason as: “cows won’t wait until the training session is over and then say, ‘you can come home and I’ll have the calf’. 

The Ballyroan Abbey club man said he was ‘aggrieved’ by coverage of his decision which he felt ridiculed his efforts to juggle not just farming, but family, home and work commitments too.

“I was very disappointed to see some articles that somewhat ridiculed my decision to leave the Laois panel at this time,” McMahon said in a statement through his club.

“I have loved every second of my last 10 years playing for Laois and made my best effort to commit this year.

But with my full-time work commitments as a secondary school teacher, the birth of my daughter Penelope, finalising the build of my new home and maintaining a farm I felt I could not continue to give the required level of commitment that Tomas and the team deserve at the moment.

“Personally I didn’t wish to make any statement or comment on why I was leaving, but I felt aggrieved at the fact that some articles published [Monday] poked fun at my decision and made light of what is a very tough call for any player to make in his career.

“I don’t want to make a big deal of it but I wanted to clarify my position as I would hate to think family, friends and importantly Laois supporters would think that mine was an easy decision or one that was made overnight.”

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