11/05/24
September 14, 2007
Stephen Ireland busted for lying.: First he said his grandma died so he could skip the Republic of Ireland Euro 2008 qualification match (they lost 1-0). She was surprised to see the news in the paper. Then he said it was his other grandmother who had died. She was also surprised to see that in the newspaper. Oh, no, he meant his divorced grandfather's partner had died. Umm, nope. So now it turns out he was spending time with his "lonely" girlfriend. LMAO.
posted by worldcup2002 to soccer at 10:44 PM - 21 comments
Because having a miscarriage in Ireland is akin to not being able to hold your vodka in Russia.
posted by charlatan at 01:10 AM on September 15, 2007
Oh, no, he meant his divorced grandfather's partner had died. Umm, nope. So now it turns out he was spending time with his "lonely" girlfriend. LMAO. Gee, I can't imagine why he'd want to spend time with his "lonely" girlfriend after she had a miscarriage.
posted by blarp at 07:36 AM on September 15, 2007
Ah those poor grandparents the world over...their premature and fabricated deaths must be the most commonly used excuse to shirk responsibility. As for the sad fool who got trapped in his own web of lies...OH MAN is he going to pay for it from fans and opposing players! That is unfortunate regarding his girlfriend but how exactly do we know that is the truth? Since he's pulled this stunt it's highly probable he's done it in the past. The strange thing about pathological liars is they can never fathom how easy it is to see through their lies.
posted by SportsNarrative at 11:39 AM on September 15, 2007
So, as it turns out, his girlfriend had had a miscarriage. Why didn't he just start out with that? I'm trying to think of work environments where it would be less comfortable for a woman to explain to her partner's boss that she'd had a miscarriage, and to be honest, I'm having trouble coming up with any. A convent, perhaps. (That's why I believe the story he's now telling, SN.)
She thought they might let me home quicker if they thought my grandmother had died.She was right. Yes, like the FAI said, he should have had a quiet word with the club manager afterwards, outside of the dressing room, instead of letting the lie spiral out of control. But the snarkers here demonstrate -- I'm looking at you too, wc2k -- exactly what kind of response would have gone through his girlfriend's mind trying to call the club on a matchday.
posted by etagloh at 02:27 PM on September 15, 2007
The guy is a pathological liar, simply put. Such people do not realize that the truth on the issues that they spin lies around is so much easier than lying. Unfortunately, our societies worldwide are increasingly becoming saturated with liars, whether it is those that tell supposedly innocent "white lies" or those that tell chronic lies that can damage others. Why our world is changing in that way is open for debate, but I think that it is happening because parents are not taking time to teach their kids the difference, even when it is subtle, between right and wrong. How many have had kids cut you off, or run over your feet, or cut in line ahead of you to get to a parent without asking to pass your location - and you witness maybe 25% of the parents take the child aside and talk to him or her about the behaviour? Children are innocent and often experience events for the first time in their lives, parents have the responsibility of teaching a child the difference between right actions and wrongs actions when the child reacts to something or takes an action, failure of the parent to act ultimately creates an adult that does not have the moral grounding to function smoothly in society. Ireland's parents almost surely failed to take him aside and quietly talk to him about right and wrong when he erred as a child, so they have a child who spun up as a clownish, pathological liar.
posted by Cave_Man at 08:45 AM on September 16, 2007
Pathological liar? I'm not so sure. Sounds like a stupid man who dug a hole with one lie, and then just kept on digging farther. Not smart. "Let's dig our way out!"... "No, dig up, guys, dig up."
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 09:22 AM on September 16, 2007
Cave_Man, had you even heard of Stephen Ireland before this? And I'm just going to assume you've suffered through the pain of miscarriage, because no one would judge another in such severe fashion without knowing exactly what they're going through, right?
posted by yerfatma at 09:37 AM on September 16, 2007
"Cave_Man, had you even heard of Stephen Ireland before this? And I'm just going to assume you've suffered through the pain of miscarriage, because no one would judge another in such severe fashion without knowing exactly what they're going through, right?" posted by yerfatma at 9:37 AM CDT on September 16 I have suffered through worse, such as the death of a relative. I could have lied and covered up on the circumstances but did not. My upbringing was grounded in me understanding right from wrong and telling the truth, I have held true to that upbringing as an adult. Yes, I did not know who Stephen Ireland was before this event. But I do know the behaviors that I have witnessed in pathological liars, he is one.
posted by Cave_Man at 10:36 AM on September 16, 2007
Ah, that all makes sense, thanks. You do your name proud.
posted by yerfatma at 12:18 PM on September 16, 2007
I'm guessing it was the girlfriend who didn't want the world to know about a personal loss like that. What right do any of us have to pry into his affairs? Should he have said a granny died? No. But wanting to keep a miscarriage personal is their right. He should have said there was a family emergency. But ever think that maybe he just wasn't thinking straight and wanted to get home to the presumably upset girlfriend? So a stupid stupid thing to do, but forgiveable, imo.
posted by Fence at 03:38 PM on September 16, 2007
Yes, I did not know who Stephen Ireland was before this event. But I do know the behaviors that I have witnessed in pathological liars, he is one. What? He didn't lie for the sake of lying. He lied because he was put in a highly stressful situation and wanted to respect the feelings and privacy of his girlfriend. Let's not forget it was his unborn child too. Sure, it was wrong to lie, and yes the situation could have been handled a million times better, but to call him a pathological liar is stupid. Have you never told a white lie to spare someone's feeling?
posted by afx237vi at 03:40 PM on September 16, 2007
It was a dumb lie but for a good reason. Mind you, I'm sure that either grandmother is not too happy to be told that they're dead but I'm sure that after hearing the reason why he lied, they understand. This is why an athletes personal business should stay just that, their personal business.
posted by BornIcon at 09:54 AM on September 17, 2007
This hardly ranks as a "white lie." He continued to spin provably false tales about dead grandmothers after he had been nailed. The jury is still out on whether he's a pathological liar but the signs are there. When caught, they just keep spinning and lying and lying... Give this time to percolate. His own coach has referred to his behaviour as stupid. If the clown is indeed an habitual liar, it will be known soon enough. I still have doubts about the miscarriage story.
posted by SportsNarrative at 11:12 AM on September 17, 2007
Dear God, Please shut off the Internet. Your fan, Tom
posted by yerfatma at 11:48 AM on September 17, 2007
Pathological liar? Habitual liar? How about not wanting anyone to know that your girlfriend had a miscarriage. Dear God, Please shut these dumbass people that have no reason to be on the Internet, up! Your fan, Thought that sounded better
posted by BornIcon at 12:41 PM on September 17, 2007
As I sat reading these posts and all the "well thought out" comments, I ACTUALLY BECAME DUMBER. Thank you Sports Filter. THANK YOU!!!!!
posted by Debo270 at 12:53 PM on September 17, 2007
While in high school my grandmother died 3 times. Once the day of a Who concert, then again when Billy Squire (sp) came to town and ill be damned if it didnt happen again the week the Grateful Dead were touring the south. Poor woman, she really needed a DNR.
posted by Folkways at 06:23 PM on September 17, 2007
I'm sorry for this post. It was my fault and responsibility for this thing. My first mistake was not reading the article all the way through. I was just completely taken by the ridiculousness of the lies. My second mistake was posting it. By the time I read the whole article and got to part about the miscarriage, it was too late. My apologies to all for providing any platform for acrimony. Peace to Ireland and his girlfriend, and a little more compassion, everybody. (Pantheon, I'd have no problem with this post being removed.)
posted by worldcup2002 at 10:57 PM on September 17, 2007
My college alumni magazine once listed me in the obituaries column. I never asked for time off to attend my funeral. When my co-workers heard of it, they claimed to have known I was dead for weeks. There was something about the odor whenever they were downwind. Actually, I feel rather badly for Stephen Ireland, and I'm sure that the excuse he gave for his absence was a spur of the moment thing. I do not know enough about contemporary Irish ethics and morality to judge whether or not the truth would have been accepted as an excuse. Let's leave it as a bit of very understandable bad judgement on Mr. Ireland's part.
posted by Howard_T at 11:26 PM on September 17, 2007
Howard T, both that FAI and Steven Staunton, the manager, have said that if Stephen Ireland had told the truth of course he would have been allowed to go home to be with her. If the reports are accurate it was the girlfriend who rang up, didn't get through to Ireland but told some official that there was an emergency, a granny had died, and that that he needed to come home. He then rang back, found out the truth, but went along with the lie.
posted by Fence at 04:34 AM on September 20, 2007
So, as it turns out, his girlfriend had had a miscarriage. Why didn't he just start out with that? It was the truth, and it would've gotten him the compassionate leave he wanted, on completely legitimate grounds. In other news, I am a rotten, stone-hearted sod.