Former NFL star Michael Irvin believes himself to be a victim of a modern-day lynching as he fights against misconduct allegations lodged against him.
A female staffer of the Renaissance Hotel in Phoenix, Arizona, accused the Dallas Cowboys Hall of Famer of misconduct on Feb. 5, a week before Super Bowl LVII in nearby Glendale. According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, although no charges were brought, and there was no police involvement, the accusation led to Irvin’s exclusion from NFL Network and ESPN’s coverage of the Philadelphia Eagles-Kansas City Chiefs championship game.
Irvin now claims he is the victim of false accusations that could jeopardize his broadcasting career, noting that he finds it unbelievable that brothers are still metaphorically being dragged and hanged by a tree in 2023.
“This sickens me because, in this great country, this takes me back to a time where a white woman would accuse a Black man of something,” he said, according to the Star-Telegram, “and they would take a bunch of guys that were above the law, run into the barn and put a rope around them, drag him through the mud and hang them.”
Irvin is adamant there was no inappropriate physical contact between him and the unidentified hotel staffer during their brief conversation at Renaissance Phoenix Downtown. He added that he hasn’t viewed the hotel’s surveillance footage or been able to defend himself against the encounter that’s placed his entire life on hold.
Dallas attorney Levi McCathern requested that Marriott release the footage, which he claims will prove his client’s innocence. During a news conference Wednesday, McCathern recounted what he saw in the video of the approximately “minute and a half” moment in the hotel lobby.
“When you first see the video, Michael is outside taking pictures, and the accuser is behind the front desk,” McCathern said, according to the Star-Telegram. “The accuser walks from behind [the] front desk and is approaching Michael and the group.”
McCathern claims the exact moment Irvin meets his accuser is allegedly not captured on the video because it happens behind a pole.
“They first greet each other,” he said. “They shake hands. They touched four times,” which includes Irvin touching her elbow and, while laughing, buckling over and touching the woman’s other elbow.
Irvin’s agent, Steve Mandell, joined McCathern and his client at the news conference. Two additional witnesses — Phil Watkins of Australia and Bryn Davis of Europe — appeared via live broadcast.
Watkins and Davis said they met Irvin in the hotel foyer and were taking pictures outside when the alleged incident occurred. During the brief encounter, they said, neither observed Irvin doing anything inappropriate.
McCathern has submitted an emergency plaintiff’s motion to execute a court order to acquire the surveillance video, calling the allegations against his client “nonsense.” He is seeking an apology from the Renaissance hotel and wants his client returned to work immediately.
Irvin has sued the hotel’s parent company and the unidentified accuser for defamation, seeking $100 million. Last week, Marriott submitted a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, claiming it doesn’t own the Phoenix property “where Irvin allegedly made ‘harassing and inappropriate'” remarks toward a worker, but leases its brand to the site.
“I’m trying [to] be an ambassador of the league and also understand that God’s blessed me in giving me a platform” to attempt to touch, raise and lift people, Irvin said, the Star-Telegram reported.
The embattled broadcaster said he’s met a lot of fans and has always tried to be a good person, but the situation has left him struggling and questioning what to do.
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Irvin insisted. “I was trying to do everything right.”
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