Carlow have been hit with a triple-blow ahead of the start of the Leinster Football Championship.
Manager Turlough O’Brien has been handed a 20-week ban after the Central Hearings Committee found him guilty of “threatening conduct towards a referee”.
The incident occurred after Carlow’s narrow defeat to Down in the final round of Division 3 games in the Allianz Football League.
Midfielder Brendan Murphy and coach Stephen Poacher have both received 12-week suspensions for similar infractions after the game.
The Central Hearings Committee also found in all three cases that “the alleged infraction, that is to say, ‘Minor Physical Interference with a Referee’ not proven”.
All parties now have the option of appealing.