Dublin footballer Diarmuid Connolly is facing the prospect of no football until late August after Tuesday's meeting of the GAA's Central Competitions Control Committee proposed a 12-week suspension having decided that he had a case to answer after an altercation with a linesman in last weekend's championship win over Carlow.
Connolly was seen on television pushing and pointing a finger at linesman Ciaran Branagan from Down in protest after a lineball call that went against Dublin.
The incident was preceded by Connolly grabbing the ball and being surrounded and jostled by three Carlow players. His remonstration with the linesman took place as he re-entered the field.
The incident, which has received widespread coverage, is believed to have been included in the match report of referee Seán Hurson. The player is almost certain to refuse the suspension and exercise his right to a hearing before the Central Hearings Committee.
Hurson was close to the incident on Saturday but took no action at the time and neither did the relevant linesman Ciaran Branagan but obviously the incident was noted even though the appropriate sanction, a red card, was not imposed.
The suspension if confirmed will put Connolly, an All Star, out of commission until the weekend of Dublin's All-Ireland semi-final should the team retain its Leinster title and win the subsequent All-Ireland quarter-final.
