Joe Brolly says no redemption arc possible for DJ Carey

A grim assessment.

It was only a matter of time before Joe Brolly weighed in on the DJ Carey story, with the Kilkenny hurling icon sentenced to five-and-a-half-years in jail for defrauding 22 people out of over €400,000 after lying about having cancer.

The outspoken Brolly acknowledged the 'outrageous' crimes committed by Carey, but offered sympathy and called out the 'lack of compassion' from people, for a man who has 'destoryed' his life.

Speaking on the Free State podcast, Brolly said:

He's a lost soul...

I hope I'm not a sanctimonious person or self righteous person. What he did was outrageous and it involved adopting a life of lies and deliberately exploiting people using those lies.

I understand all of that and he has received a very heavy punishment. But for me, he's a lost soul...

Here he is this evening in a prison cell, a pariah now until the day that he dies, utterly isolated. You will say 'he is paying for his sins', that may be so.

But for me, it's a human tragedy...

There is no redemption here. He is too well known, he is too isolated now.

People tend in these circumstances to have relish, to treat it with a lack of christianity, a lack of forgiveness, a lack of that sort of compassion that people normally have...

What could be worse for him? It's hard to think how his life could be worse now, how genuinely he has destroyed it. Another fallen angel.