After being accused of inappropriate behavior by a lady in a hotel lobby, Hall of Fame running back Michael Irvin was removed from NFL Network’s coverage of Sunday’s Super Bowl.
Irvin, who has denied all wrongdoing, has filed a $100 million defamation lawsuit against Marriott International Inc. and “Jane Doe,” claiming that the allegations have negatively harmed his ability to support himself because NFL Network dropped him from its Super Bowl coverage.
The woman, named Mariott, for which Irvin was accused, said that Irvin said something to her during the brief conversation. Irvin, meanwhile, said that the only physical contact he had with the woman was a handshake and that he didn’t really recall it.
What response did Michael Irvin have to the accusation?
Irvin made an impassioned statement in which he insisted that there was no inappropriate physical contact during the encounter with the woman and that he did nothing wrong. He also stated that this incident made him sick!
Although he was permitted to view a little video of the interaction on Tuesday in Marriott’s legal offices, Irvin’s attorney, Levi McCathern, claimed that Marriott had not sufficiently provided him with video footage of the encounter.
Irvin and the woman are shown on film shaking hands in the hotel lobby, and McCathern claims that after greeting her and bidding her farewell, Irvin also touches her elbow twice before leaving.
What do witnesses have to say about Irvin?
The claim that former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin behaved improperly in a February encounter with a hotel staffer was refuted by two witnesses on Wednesday.
The first witness, Australian Phil Watkins, who was in Arizona on Thursday, claims to have witnessed the incident while out with his friends and taking pictures with the Hall of Famer in front of the hotel where Michael was staying.
Irvin, 56, allegedly had a “good” and “pleasant” encounter with his claimed accuser as they entered the building, according to the witness, who also claims that Irvin was accosted by a lady as he attempted to use the elevator.
The second witness, Philadelphia resident Bryn Davis, claimed that as they turned around to enter the pub, Irvin instead headed directly to his hotel room. He guesses a member of staff; he doesn’t know if it was a waitress or a bartender, came up and said, “Hello Michael Irvin.” And after shaking her hand, he remarked, “Well, lovely to meet you, I’m Michael.” Davis claimed that there happened nothing more than that.
Davis claims that he witnessed the alleged encounter and was shocked to learn later in the week that Michael had been accused of misbehavior because there was nothing to base the accusation on.
The 56-year-old played his entire 12-year NFL career with the Cowboys, winning three championship games with the group before being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007.
