Michael Irvin pulled from Super Bowl coverage after misconduct allegations
The Hall of Famer has been removed from both ESPN and the NFL Network. No details about the allegation have been released.
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Hall of Famer and former Dallas Cowboys star Michael Irvin has been taken off both ESPN and the NFL Network following allegations of misconduct at a hotel ahead of the Super Bowl.
”Michael Irvin will not be a part of NFL Network’s Super Bowl LVII week coverage,” NFL spokesperson Alex Riethmiller said in a statement.
Irvin, 56, who interviewed Eagles players during Monday’s opening night, was slated to appear on the NFL Network’s Super Bowl pregame coverage. He also was scheduled to be a guest on ESPN’s First Take, hosted by Stephen A. Smith. That appearance has now been canceled, according to a network source.
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No details about the allegation have been released, but Irvin told the Dallas Morning News he spoke to a woman at his hotel for 45 seconds.
”Honestly, I’m a bit baffled with it all,” Irvin told the newspaper. “This all happened in a 45-second conversation in the lobby. When I got back after going out ... I came into the lobby, and I talked to somebody. I talked to this girl. I don’t know her, and I talked to her for about 45 seconds. We shook hands. Then, I left. … That’s all I know.
”I don’t really recall that conversation, to tell you the truth. We were out drinking,” Irvin added. “It was just a friendly conversation. ‘What’s up?’ I don’t even know. … I am totally perplexed.”
Before the NFL Network’s decision to pull Irvin from its Super Bowl coverage, the Hall of Famer said during an interview on Dallas sports talk radio the incident in question occurred after having dinner and drinks with former Cowboys defender Michael Brooks Sunday night. Following the incident, Irvin said he was moved to a different hotel based on footage of his interaction with an unidentified woman.
“They showed me on camera that I did talk to somebody. I talked to this girl for like a minute,” Irvin told hosts Shan Shariff and RJ Choppy on 105.3 the Fan in Dallas. “That’s why they moved me, because the girl said I said something to her within that minute.”
This isn’t the first time Irvin has dealt with allegations stemming from his interactions with women.
In 2007, Irvin settled a civil case with a woman who said he sexually assaulted her at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. Irvin denied the allegations, and terms of the settlement weren’t disclosed.
Irvin also was investigated by Fort Lauderdale police following sexual assault allegations in 2017. Irvin denied the allegations, and prosecutors declined to charge the Hall of Famer in the case.