Former Dublin player Paul Flynn has claimed that he spoke to Kerry star David Clifford over a tweet he made after this year's All-Ireland final.
This year, Flynn's former team, Dublin, defeated arch-rivals Kerry in Croke Park. One of the pregame stories revolved around how Dublin's defenders would handle Clifford.
Dublin's Mick Fitzsimons successfully contained the Kerry sharpshooter to low scores through a combination of hard work and Clifford's lack of accuracy in front of goal.
Clifford was widely expected to win Footballer of the Year before the game, but Flynn tweeted that the Kerry native got 'smoked' in a tweet on X. He also advocated for Dublin captain James McCarthy.
"Clifford was smoked against Dublin and poor against Tyrone, yet still people think he is Footballer of the Year. Not for me - James Mc led Dublin to glory without having his best day yesterday! He’s a born winner and leader," Flynn said in July.
Flynn's tweet received significant backlash, with many on X believing it was in bad taste. He clarified his position later that night, saying, "Bit of controversy regarding my last tweet; Do I think Mick Fitz got the better of Clifford? Yes. Do I think Clifford was POTY? No. Do I think he’s one of the best in our generation? Yes - and a top ambassador for the game. No more midnight tweets."
Bit of controversy re my last tweet;
Do I think Mick Fitz got the better of Clifford? Yes
Do I think Clifford was POTY? No
Do I think he’s one of best in our generation? Yes - and top ambassador for game.No more midnight tweets 🤐 https://t.co/sGsPrTpo0f
— Paul Flynn (@Flinto23) August 1, 2023
Despite Flynn's opinion, Clifford retained his Footballer of the Year crown from 2022. It might be assumed that there would be bad blood between the former Dublin player and the current Kerry superstar, but according to Flynn, that is not the case. Flynn has claimed that he contacted Clifford over the tweet, and they are on good terms.
"I reached out to Clifford anyway. The main thing for me was that I didn't really care what other people thought; I cared that he might see it or whatever. I didn't not want that," he said on the Second Captains podcast.
"I reached out to David Clifford, and he was dead sound; we cleared the air. I felt good after that, buried it and moved on."
Flynn has claimed that he meant nothing by the tweet and only wanted to make a case for James McCarthy but did it in the wrong way.
"It will probably be the next day. Once that happened, I had put it to bed in my head. I made it clear to him that I showed absolutely no disrespect to him, and I thought the world of him. Who doesn't?
"All the guys there on The Sunday Game would tell you how much I big him up. Even that (All-Ireland final) day with Gooch, I can't get over the lad.
"It was just me trying to make a case for James McCarthy. I did it the wrong way."
