Exclusive:Former Hibs star's legal action makes 'incompetent and incoherent' accusation over 'horrific' injury
Lawyers in career ‘lost’ declaration as Court of Session papers name Easter Road club
Crocked former Hibs player Jake Doyle-Hayes has started legal proceedings over the training-ground tackle that ended his career, with the player’s lawyer accusing then manager Lee Johnson of making “incompetent and incoherent decisions.” The Irish midfielder is seeking compensation from the club over the injury that derailed his attempts to make a lasting impact on the first team.
Johnson is accused of making a tackle that resulted in “horrific injuries” for Doyle-Hayes back in September of 2022. The former St Mirren player needed an operation on his ankle the following month – and never really recovered, with his solicitor today insisting: “A career has been lost to this athlete.”
Doyle-Hayes has begun proceedings at the Court of Session aimed at claiming compensation for lost earnings, with the player named as pursuer and Hibernian Football Club – who employed Johnson as manager at the time – named as defender. The player, who signed for Hibs in the summer of 2021, left the club by mutual consent in January.
Lee Johnson named in case claiming ‘mismanagement and ineptitude’
Joel Shaw, a partner with Thompsons Solicitors, laid out the claim being made by the former Aston Villa prospect as he said: “Our client, Jake Doyle-Hayes suffered horrific injuries from a tackle made by the then manager of Hibernian Football Club, Lee Johnson. The impact of this has greatly restricted his career.
“These injuries should never have happened and were incurred due to incompetent and incoherent decisions made by his manager. Jake’s career has been derailed by mismanagement and ineptitude.
“A career has been lost to this athlete. We will get him compensation.”
Surgery, recovery and a recurring injury restricted Doyle-Hayes
Doyle-Hayes made almost 70 appearances in his three-and-a-half seasons with Hibs. And he did appear to make a good initial recovery from the operation, returning to the first team later in season 2022-23 - and making a handful of appearances at the start of the following season.
But he sat out the rest of the 2023-24 campaign with a recurring ankle issue. And he made just a single appearance for Hibs last season, coming on for the closing seven minutes of October’s 1-1 home draw with Hearts.
The club agreed terms on a deal to cancel his contract in January, allowing the 26-year-old to sign for Sligo Rovers as a free agent. He has played regularly for the League of Ireland side since the switch – but his lawyers will argue that, without the lingering effects of the training-ground incident, he would be playing at a much higher level.
The history of footballers making injury claims against employers or opponents suggests Doyle-Hayes will have to meet a high threshold before succeeding, with the player required to prove that he was owed a duty of care by Hibs, that this duty of care was breached – and that the injury was caused by that breach. In addition, his lawyers will have to convince a judge that the conduct of Johnson was reckless and fell below expected standards.
A spokesman for Hibs, responding to the comments by Shaw and commenting on the case, told the Evening News: “The club is aware of the claim, however as an ongoing matter shall not be commenting further at this stage.”