A statement released by the Tyrone County Board says a lack of sensitivity shown towards the Harte family and Michaela's husband John McAreavey during a morning radio interview has led to them withdrawing co-operation with the national broadcaster.

The statement which was released this afternoon is on behalf of the Tyrone senior football management and players.

Mickey Harte has refused to deal with RTÉ since the beginning of this year's championship with the GAA trying to bring the two parties together without success.

Ahead of this weekend's high profile All-Ireland quarter-final involving Tyrone and Dublin, which will be covered by RTÉ 2, the O'Neill County have explained the reason behind their stance.

It relates to the period when a number of intercounty managers wrote to RTÉ about their concern over the lack of matches which Brian Carthy was commentating on. Mickey Harte was interviewed on RTÉ Radio about the issue, and part of that interview was then used during a comedy sketch on the 'John Murray Show', which has offence within Tyrone.

The statement in full reads:

"A number of weeks ago the Senior Football Manager in conjunction with several other GAA managers wrote a letter marked Private and Confidential to two senior people within the RTÉ organisation. In this letter Mickey Harte expressed his own and a number of other managers' concern at the disproportionate absence of Brian Carthy from his role as a radio commentator. The contents of the letter made their way into the public domain and the managers' concerned can categorically state that they were not the source of that leak.

"Due to the portrayal of the said letter, at least one other broadcaster within the organisation acted in a most insensitive manner in the choice of their programme dialogue in a morning radio show soon after. Inappropriate references to the fact that the Tyrone manager Mickey Harte was associated with the Dali Lama conference in Limerick and the choice of the song "Pretty Little Girl from Omagh" will give you an indication of the complete lack of sensitivity the presenter in question afforded the Harte family and Michaela's husband John McAreavey, in what remains for them a very difficult time.

"We hope that this statement clarifies for the general public why Mickey Harte, his management team and the players have chosen not to co-operate with RTÉ at this time.

"Interviews with all other media outlets will continue as before."

Link: RTÉ 'regrets any offence caused' to Harte family Tweet

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