Colm O'Rourke has laid the blame for Sunday's All-Ireland quarter-final brawl on the Armagh County Board.
The former Meath star described the melee, which included what appeared to be an eye gouge on Galway's Damien Comer, as 'pure thuggery'.
Former GAA president Liam O'Neill has suggested a limit on people allowed in the half-time dressing rooms and for teams to use separate entrances.
READ MORE: Former GAA president says big changes needed after Armagh-Galway brawl
O'Neill argued: "We had a situation in Croke Park on Sunday where we had excellent dressing rooms on both sides of the field. We could have used one for either team and avoided this."
But, O'Rourke, citing Armagh's involvement in similar incidents against Tyrone and Donegal earlier this season, believes that county boards need to hold their players to account.
The two-time All-Ireland winner told the RTE GAA Podcast: "People are trying to use nice words but for me it was just pure thuggery, and it should be called out as such.
"People shouldn’t be saying teams need to go in different entrances. Soccer and rugby teams walk in beside each other at half-time. Why do they not beat the living daylights out of each other?
"The common denominator unfortunately in this has been Armagh this year. This is the third incident they have been involved in. They were involved in a very big incident a few years ago at U20 level when 10 players were suspended.
"The responsibility for players and discipline falls back on a county board. And if a county board continually appeals the decision by a central body then they’re basically saying to their players, 'you can do what you like and we will back you and try to get you off’.
"We had the incident with Tyrone earlier in the year where five players were sent off for contributing to a melee. And then when Armagh had the problem with Donegal, they appeal and got their players off.
"The rule of law did not apply, the referees were undermined. You had a Central Hearing Committee undermining the decision of another GAA body. It has brought about a shambolic situation.
"If those suspensions had stuck earlier in the year I’m quite sure we’d have a much better level of discipline. I feel really sorry for the referees in these particular cases, that it’s been brought to this level.
"If they make a decision and send it in, it’s very likely to be overturned, as we have seen in hurling as well."
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