Jack McCaffrey is believed to have withdrawn from the Dublin senior football panel.
Work commitments are thought to be behind the flying wing-back’s decision, with the recently-qualified doctor now based in St Luke’s Hospital in Kilkenny.
A spokesperson for the Dublin senior football team did not respond when contacted about the matter though sources close to the camp have indicated strongly that he will not be involved this year as things stand.
It’s not the first time that McCaffrey has pulled out of the squad after sitting out the 2016 season in order to go travelling on the back of being crowned Footballer of the Year.
He returned in 2017 but suffered a ruptured cruciate knee ligament early on in that year’s All-Ireland final win over Mayo, though he made it back to feature in yet another September success in 2018.
The 26-year-old was at his very best as Dublin completed a historic five-in-a-row last year, producing a landmark All-Ireland final performance in the drawn decider with Kerry, when he struck 1-3.
He had only appeared once for Dublin this year prior to the coronavirus-enforced shutdown, coming off the bench before being withdrawn due to injury during the Allianz League defeat to Tyrone in Omagh on February 29.
Officially, Dublin are not permitted to train until September 14 and their Championship opener against Westmeath is fixed for the weekend of November 7/8, so manager Dessie Farrell may hold out some hope that the five-time All-Ireland winner will return to the fold but, for now at least, McCaffrey’s priorities appear to lie elsewhere.
