Jack O'Connor hits out at Kerry critics and ex-Kingdom players after Armagh win
Speaking after Kerry's impressive 0-32 to 1-21 win over All-Ireland champs Armagh in Sunday's All-Ireland quarter-final, O'Connor hit out at the way his side were written off inside and outside the county.
And he challenged those criticising the Kerry team to get involved in coaching instead of sniping from the sidelines saying, 'it's very easy to knock people.'
O'Connor said: 'One of the great motivators in life is trying to prove people wrong. We were being portrayed as a one man team.
'I saw somebody writing this morning that the only Kerry player worthy of being called a Kerry player was David Clifford. David is a great player but David would tell you that there was a fair support cast out there today.
'We think we have a lot of good footballers but I think sometimes we are being judged on different criteria to other teams.
'For example, Dublin got beaten by Meath in the Leinster Championship. I didn't see any ex-Dublin players coming out slating the team or slating the management like we had down south in our county.
'There was a sense of commitment to the team and a sense of loyalty to the team. Unfortunately a few pundits let themselves down in that regard.'
O'Connor continued: 'I'm not giving out about it from my own point of view. I just gave the example that I never hear Dublin's ex-players slating the team.
'They're loyal to the group, they're loyal to the county and they give their support. What's to be gained by slating people? It's the easiest thing in the world. I'm in the business of building people up. I'm not in the business of knocking people.
'I spent all my life coaching underage school kids, minors, Under-21s, seniors, at every level. I'm in the business of building people, not knocking people. I'd ask people who are knocking that group and knocking people involved with the group to look in the mirror and say, 'What have you contributed? What have you contributed to Kerry football off the field?' You know what I mean?
'It's very easy to knock people. Go away and coach a team. Go away and coach a development squad. Coach a minor team. That's how you help, not knocking people."
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