Marty Morrissey to stand in for Tubridy on tomorrow's August Bank Holiday show

Sports commentator and television presenter Marty Morrissey will be standing in for Ryan Tubridy on his annual August Bank Holiday edition of the show, despite recent controversy.

Tubridy has been off the air since reports surfaced on June 22 that he received €345 thousand more than was publicly disclosed over the last five years.

He stepped down from the Late Late Show in May. Oliver Callan has been filling his spot on "The Ryan Tubridy Show," with plans to stay on for at least another five weeks.

Morrissey became involved in the RTÉ controversy when Acting Director Adrian Lynch told the Oireachtas Media Committee on Tuesday there was at least one case of an RTÉ staff member in possession of a car on loan that had not been approved by RTÉ.

Further questioning from TD Timmy Dooley revealed the car had been on loan for a period of five years and was returned the day before the hearing.  Lynch declined to reveal the name of the individual he was referring to.

Morrissey released a statement yesterday indicating he was the individual being referenced. He apologized for his use of the car, calling it "an error in judgement."

Marty Morrissey statement pic.twitter.com/2b4gdwhOUE

— Marty Morrissey (@MartyM_RTE) July 6, 2023

Morrissey described the arrangement as "ad hoc," saying "The situation carried over informally for a number of years."

The announcer was allegedly offered use of the car by Renault while interviewing multiple GAA players. Though he did seek permission to interview the GAA players, which was then granted, he considered the car unrelated to his work with RTÉ and did not clear the deal with his manager.

Morrissey's statement created its own controversy, as people disagreed over whether Morrissey's behaviour merited being grouped with other RTÉ spending scandals, or if Morrissey was even the staff member that Lynch was referring to.

Some on Twitter noted Morrissey's statement as saying he returned the car on the 23rd of June more than a week before the hearing, which occurred on the 4th of July.

In response to the backlash surrounding Morrissey, TD Tim Dooley, who had originally led the line of questioning about the car loan, to say Morrissey had "been pulled into this controversy, I think unfairly and unnecessarily.”

In his statement, Morrissey said "I have never been appointed a brand ambassador for Renault. There was no expectation or requirement that I publicly endorse or promote Renault on air or on social media while I had use of the car."

Others pointed out that although Morrissey did not receive a fee from RTÉ for the event, nor an official brand ambassador deal with Renault, he did star in the show "Marty and Bernard: On the Road Again," where he toured the country in a prominently-featured Renault vehicle.

#RTEgate "There was no expectation or requirement that I publicly endorse or promote Renault on air, on social media or otherwise while I had the use of a car" - Marty Morrissey. Unrelated, has anyone seen that 3 part series about Marty driving around Ireland in a Renault. pic.twitter.com/ZntU4yFSiQ

— G (@Swifty_Gee) July 6, 2023

In addition to hosting the Ryan Tubridy Show's August Bank Holiday edition tomorrow, Morrisey will also commentate on the All-Ireland hurling semifinal the same day, and All-Ireland Camogie quarterfinal on Sunday.

There have been no reports of a potential resignation or disciplinary actions on behalf of RTÉ.