The Wexford attacker, who failed to get his 12-week suspension overturned this week despite a seven-hour Disputes Resolution Authority (DRA) hearing on Wednesday, last night admitted that the tackle shown twice on Croke Park's big screen during the Offaly v Wexford Leinster semi-final, "looked atrocious."

"I did walk on Shane [Sullivan, Offaly defender], but I didn't mean to. I could swear that on a stack of bibles and the most hurtful thing from my point of view is that the Central Disciplinary Committee [who handed down the suspension] told me they were unanimous in thinking I did it on purpose. I wouldn't lie about a thing like that. As I told them, I'm 14 stone and was wearing blades on the day and if I'd stamped on Shane, I would have ripped his head off.

"He got up and finished the match and I've great respect for him because he came over to me, said he knew it was an accident and we swapped jerseys. I said to him 'I hope ye win the final', I meant it. I have great respect for the player for coming over to me and saying he knew I didn't try to hurt him."

Although the 26-year-old former All-Star could be forgiven for being bitter in light of the number of players who got off from televised kicking and punching incidents in even more high-profile matches since the 2 July game, Forde has a different view on the matter.

He doesn't go with the notion that with Wexford being out of the championship, he was an easy target for the GAA to flex its muscle on, given that they felt on the back foot over the Anthony Lynch case and what they allowed go on without censure in the Ulster football final.

"No, I don't want to come across as a victim in this. I stood on the chap's head and if they gave me 12 weeks for that, I can take it. But the GAA has questioned my motives and my integrity in this and that's what I find really hard to accept.

"I also feel very sorry for the players and management of Monaghan because I played against them in the qualifier the following Saturday and scored six of our eight points to put them out.

"In the same way I feel sorry for the Wexford managements and lads because although I travelled to Enniskillen to play Fermanagh in the next round, the CDC had met that morning and at the last minute I had to pull out of playing.

'So this decision is unfair on both Monaghan and Wexford in the way it was implemented. It's also unfair on my club because at best, I might be back for the county final if we get there on 2 October. I missed the league final in Wexford where we were going for 12-in-a-row and lost to neighbours Castletown by a point.

"Now we have two big matches to win to get to the county final, and I feel sorry for my teammates who have put it on all year that I am not available to help them."

Forde's life revolves around the GAA and to that extent he was happy to turn down soccer after an approach was made to join Kilkenny City. "I was asked, but when I thought about it, it's not for me. I want to play for the club and the county, the province and Ireland when the chance comes around.

He doesn't say it but this current suspension puts his place in the squad to play the Australians in October in jeopardy.

New manager Sean Boylan will begin picking trial teams soon and as this hybrid game comes under the auspices of the GAA, Forde will not be able to partake in those games but will no doubt be hoping that the former Meath manager keeps him in his thoughts.

Speaking this week, it is apparent that what is uppermost in his mind though is the responsibility he feels he carries to promote the image of the GAA.

"Yeah, I'd be aware of my responsibilities to kids and fans as a role model and I want to take this opportunity to apologise to them and assure them it was a total accident.

"I know the vast majority of people who have seen me play or know me will say 'it looked bad, Matty, but if you say it was an accident, we believe you'.

"The problem is that when I went to make the tackle, he fell and his right leg came up in the air and I felt I was losing my balance behind him. So I planted my left foot a good yard away from him and there are picture to show that my arms are out trying to keep my balance and my right foot landed on his neck- head area.

I am looking straight ahead going into the tackle and during the fall but by the time I make contact with him, I am actually looking to the side because the ball has spilt loose.

But watching it afterwards, I do admit it looks absolutely terrible on television.

"However, if you look at the video there was no protests by the Offaly players on the day after what they had seen in real time, but once it was shown up on the big screen, not once but twice, my goose was cooked.

"At the time I was talking to Paul Bealin [Wexford Manager] and didn't notice what was on the screen and I just went ahead and sent the free over the bar [the referee had given a free to Wexford after the incident].

"After that every time I went for a ball, I was booed and I think that reaction from the crowd meant the GAA wanted action against me and it just snowballed from there."

"There was no rancour on the day, no bad feeling. The Offaly lads and ourselves have a lot of respect for one another. Both sides wanted to win, but there was no bad blood, nothing simmering under waiting to explode. I spent most of the day out at centreforward so I wasn't marking Shane for that long.

And despite the fact that the DRA concluded that his hearing was unfair in that he couldn't get clarification of the referee's report, Forde is prepared to take his medicine. "They offered to send it back to the body which suspended me or to the referee to see if he saw what happened.

They CDC weren't going to overturn their decision and if the ref said he didn't see it in his report, he's hardly going to turn around this time and say he did.

"I didn't make any comment at all during this whole affair until now. I want people to know first hand my account.

I've given that here and I can't wait for the suspension to be up so that I can start playing again. I'm disappointed that it took so long and I didn't get the right decision out of it although it was accepted that I was dealt with unfairly. But there's nothing now for me to do but grin and bear it."

MATTY FORDE TIMELINE

July 2 - Incident in Croke Park with Offaly's Shane Sullivan.

July 8 - Forde plays against Monaghan in the quali"ers and kicks six of Wexford's eight points as they knock the northerners out.

July 10 - Central Disciplinary Committee, (CDC), bring forward meeting from 12 July to consider case.

July 15 - CDC impose 12-week ban on player and is relayed to him and county board who are in Enniskillen to play Fermanagh.

July 25 - Forde appeals decision but it is turned down by the Central Appeals Committee.

August 2 - Disputes Resolution Authority (DRA) hearing concludes player's original hearing to the CDC was unfair because he didn't get clari"cation on referee's report.

Offer him two options by going back to CDC and referee, but he turns them down and decides to serve suspension.