Overview
- Fitzgerald told the Antrim squad he was stepping down with immediate effect after the team's final-round 3-26 to 1-15 win over Carlow on Sunday.
- Players had written to the county board earlier this month saying a decision to remove Fitzgerald was made then reversed, creating uncertainty and prompting cancelled training sessions.
- Antrim GAA publicly denied that it had sought to dismiss Fitzgerald when the row first erupted, but relations between the manager and elements of the board were reported as strained.
- Despite a late three-game run that included the Carlow win, Antrim finished outside the Joe McDonagh Cup final, and Fitzgerald will not take up the optional third year on his contract.
- The departure leaves immediate governance questions for Antrim GAA about how managerial decisions are communicated and resolved, and the county must now begin a search for a new senior hurling manager.