Peter Crowley of Kerry during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Final match between Dublin and Kerry at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Peter Crowley has accepted an eight-week suspension, arising out of an incident in the drawn All-Ireland football final when he was acting as 'maor uisce' for the Kerry team.

Crowley squirted water in the direction of a Dublin player when he was stationed along the Hogan Stand sideline during the second half, an incident picked up on by TV cameras but also noted in referee David Gough's report.

Crowley is currently recovering from a cruciate ligament tear which he sustained at the end of April.

His suspension falls under the same category as one that Monaghan's Darren Hughes had to serve earlier in the summer when he was involved in an altercation with Fermanagh players while fulfilling a similar role in an All-Ireland qualifier in Clones last June.

Even though they are players they are classed as officials and that classifies their offence as misconduct by an official where physical interference is involved, coming under rule &.2c, Category 11A.

GAA match-day protocols do not allow for current players to act as water carriers but it is regularly ignored and in these two cases, has led to disciplinary charges.

The GAA are expected to bring new rules into play to deal with growing concerns around this area.

Crowley has been a key member of the Kerry team this decade, picking up an All Star award in 2014 when the Kingdom last won an All-Ireland title. He has also been prominent in Dublin vs Kerry clashes over the years and was the recipient of a controversial tackle from Kevin McManamon in the dying moments of the 2016 All-Ireland semi-final.

Referee David Gough didn't award Kerry a free, with Dublin star Diamuid Connolly subsequently making sure of the game with an insurance point. That decision served as a big talking point before the drawn game after Gough was appointed referee.

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