With no proof, maybe it was unwise for someone in that position to say anything at all.

You have to realise that you are dealing with the lives of people here and by mentioning just Jack O'Connor and Brian Cody, in a way it's implicating everyone else which is wrong. It's leaving a question mark over a lot of good people.

How many times have people been accused of wrongdoing in every walk of life when they did nothing? How many times has the dog been given a bad name? And how often has it stuck? Too often, and I hope this is not one of those cases.

I'd like to make it very clear that if it is happening, I am most certainly not condoning it in any way. If it's happening it is wrong. I'm a member of the finance committee here in Armagh and it's hard enough to get money in without paying it out in exorbitant amounts to managers.

I also know how hard it is at club level just to keep going and the money people raise shouldn't be spent on a manager. What we are part of is an amateur organisation. Managers at inter-county level get expenses for what they do. It probably doesn't cover the work they put in but nobody is forcing us to take these jobs and if you ask a lot of people they will tell you it's actually a huge privilege.

But that doesn't mean it isn't incredibly hard work. I'll tell you about my average week earlier this year and you can make up your own mind?

Saturday: I'd go to an under21 match. Obviously you want to look at the guys that are coming through and I'd always try and help out in whatever way I can as well.

Sunday: We are up early and off to a league match somewhere. It's very tiring and by the time you get home your day is gone and so is your energy. Monday: I'm on the finance committee here in Armagh, as I said, so we'd have a meeting in regard to how we can raise money and how we can keep things ticking over. Tuesday: Training.

Wednesday: There'd always be a few lads looking to do a bit more, like hit the weights in the gym, so I'd be around for them, trying to help them out. Thursday: More training. Friday: There's an involvement with the club as well.

Saturday: Under-21 match.

And you are off again. That was just an average week during the early stages of the league and as you can imagine, it got much more hectic when the Championship came around.

It's all hugely time-consuming and trying to live your life at the same time isn't easy.

Ask the wife and family of any manager and they would tell you just how hard it can be. It affects you're job and it affects your personal life. I'm lucky that I've my sons working in the business with me at the minute but before that, I'd say things might have been going better if I wasn't involved with what is an extra job. People don't realise just how hard it can be and to be honest we are very thankful of the support we get.

When it comes to business, people realise your predicament and are willing to meet when it suits you rather than when it's convenient for them.

So as I said, we get whatever expenses we get and that's fine but we really don't need the president indicting everybody with dangerous comments that he admits he can't back up.

I know the guys in Croke Park get paid, and I don't have any problem with that whatsoever. You have to realise that while we are amateur, what they are running is a business. You need people in there employed. They are professionals and rightly get paid as professionals. Will we ever be like that as managers? I really don't know what the answer should be. It's hard. If we get paid then what do you do with the players? They work every bit as hard and in our panel we are looking after 30 guys. If I get paid, then should they not? I don't know if anyone has the answer.