Jay Donnelly will not go on loan to Belfast Celtic
Glentoran have confirmed that Jay Donnelly's proposed loan move to Belfast Celtic will not go ahead as planned now.
Donnelly, who served a three-month prison sentence last year for distributing an indecent image of a child, had been due to join the intermediate side until January after completing a move to the Glens.
However, Head Coach Mick McDermott said the loan move is now off due to intense media coverage and social media reaction following Donnelly's switch to The Oval.
"The primary reason [for him not going on loan] is the scale and intensity of the media attention," McDermott told BBC Sport.
"As an employer I have a duty of care and, as a coach, I have player welfare as my main priority.
"To take care of my player I felt it was better for him to be in a full-time environment at Glentoran, training every day with his team-mates and the coaching staff around him.
"Jay has been fine with it, he is appreciative of the opportunity. He has trained with his team-mates and is looking forward to grasping this opportunity with both hands."
The move generated significant media coverage and a lot of reaction on social media, with a number of Glentoran fans critical of the signing.
When asked if the club could lose fans over the signing of Donnelly, McDermott said: "Potentially".
"I cannot say that for a fact, but that is always a possibility when there is some controversy around the club.
He added: "We have had discussions with supporters' clubs and other stakeholders. We have been open and honest with them, they have been open and honest with us, and I can say that things are moving positively forward.
"They may not agree 100% with that decision, but they can at least understand the decisions were made to take this project that we are doing at Glentoran forward."
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