‘This sickens me’: Michael Irvin discusses Super Bowl allegations, being taken off NFL Network and ESPN
“How can I defend myself, if I don’t even know what I’m defending myself against?” Irvin told reporters Wednesday.
Former Dallas Cowboys star Michael Irvin proclaimed his innocence Wednesday following claims of inappropriate conduct at his hotel during the Super Bowl that got him taken off of the NFL Network and ESPN.
At a press conference Wednesday, Irvin and his attorney, Levi McCathern, didn’t take questions from reporters, but the Hall of Famer expressed his frustration at being punished while not claiming to know the exact allegations.
“This sickens me,” Irvin said. “How can I defend myself, if I don’t even know what I’m defending myself against?”
Irvin was pulled from appearances on the NFL Network and ESPN the week before Super Bowl LVII following allegations of misconduct at the Marriott-owned Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel in Arizona. Few details have emerged following Irvin’s interaction with a Marriott employee on the night of Feb. 5, and the Hall of Famer filed a lawsuit $100 million lawsuit against Marriott. In a court filing, Marriott said Irvin made “harassing and inappropriate comments,” according to The Athletic.
McCathern said Marriott failed to follow a court order to turn over a copy of surveillance tape of the incident that he said shows Irvin did nothing wrong. McCathern said he viewed the footage, and it shows Irvin exchanging laughs with a woman for about a minute and a half before shaking her hand and leaving the lobby.
“She clearly never acts upset. She doesn’t back away from Michael. She doesn’t act like there’s any kind of problems going on there,” McCarthen said.
Two men who were in the lobby at the time of the alleged incident also spoke at Wednesday’s briefing. Both said Irvin appeared to do nothing improper.
Phil Watkins, an Eagles fan from Philadelphia who had previously spoken with the Dallas Morning News, said he recognized Irvin in the lobby because he grew up hating the former Cowboys star. After taking a few pictures outside, they reentered the hotel and Watkins said Irvin had a “friendly” interaction with a woman.
“The allegations are nonsense, and we need to immediately get Michael back to work,” McCarthen said. “And I think Renaissance needs to apologize to him.”
In his lawsuit, Irvin contends that despite multiple witnesses supporting his account, a Marriott manager contacted the NFL “with the intention of damaging” Irvin’s relationship with the league.
McCathern said his client was “railroaded” by the hotel’s management and is a victim of “cancel culture.”
Last week, U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant granted Irvin’s request for Marriott to turn over surveillance footage of the incident, which the company was required to do by Tuesday at 5 p.m.
The NFL has declined to comment on the matter, and Marriott did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Irvin has not appeared on the NFL Network or ESPN since the incident.