When Pat Spillane departed RTÉ's GAA coverage at the end of the 2022 intercounty season, he did so as one of the country's most beloved pundits.
The Kerry football legend had been a staple of The Sunday Game for several decades before he made the decision to step aside - and he did so against the backdrop of a memorable All-Ireland triumph for his home county.
In the RTÉ studio that 2022 day, Spillane was given a special gift by his fellow pundits, with ex-Dub Ciarán Whelan getting the history-making 2019 Dublin panel to sign a replica jersey for the departing Kerryman.
Pat Spillane has been a leading and legendary voice in #RTEGAA broadcasting and analysis.
On his final #SundayGame, we look back at the last three decades and present him with a special momento. #sundaygame pic.twitter.com/YaqpquvwDd— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 24, 2022
It was a thoughtful gift, with a subtle jab at Spillane from Whelan stating that a five-in-a-row jersey was the one thing missing from his collection of memorabilia.
In his weekly column for the Sunday World this week, however, Spillane has revealed he is still yet to receive the jersey from RTÉ, saying its whereabouts are a mystery.
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Pat Spillane still awaiting delivery of signed Dublin jersey
Spillane said that he was appreciative of the sentiment behind the gift but that he was unsure of its whereabouts. He went on to say that, at this stage, he would rather see it auctioned off for charity:
While I’m on the subject of RTÉ, several people have asked me what I did with the beautiful Dublin jersey, signed by the six-in-a-row team, which I was presented with during my final Sunday Game appearance.
Well, the truth is I have yet to actually get the jersey. Somebody did say they thought they saw it lying around in an office in RTÉ. But I haven’t heard a dickey bird from anybody in Montrose since that day in 2022.
I have a suggestion. If somebody does find it, I would love if they would put it up for auction and donate the proceeds to a worthy charity.
I feel better now having got all that off my chest.
This is not the first time that Spillane has raised the topic of his missing Dublin jersey.
During an appearance on The Late Late Show last year, Spillane joked that host Patrick Kielty was the first correspondent from RTÉ he had managed to get a hold of in the 15 months since his departure.
On that occasion, Spillane said:
The day I retired from the Sunday Game, which was a beautiful occasion, RTÉ Sport and the Sunday Game gave me a beautiful presentation of an autographed jersey from the Dublin team. I was absolutely thrilled. I actually was, because I admire them a lot.
There's one slight problem - they never sent it on to me. I've never got it. If you're out the back someday, in the wardrobes or in the warehouses, and you see that, would you just stick a stamp on it and send it to Pat Spillane?
Evidently, Kielty has been unable to get his hands on it, and the whereabouts of the parting gift from The Sunday Game crew to Pat Spillane remains a mystery.
Given his admirable offer to put it up for auction (if it is ever found), we'll now have to wait and see what fate is in store for Spillane's signed Dubs jersey.
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