Michael Irvin Releases Security Footage He Claims Proves Innocence in Sexual Misconduct Allegation: ‘This Is Ridiculous’
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Hall of Fame wide receiver and NFL Network analyst Michael Irvin released security footage from the night he was accused of sexual harassment by an employee of a Marriott Hotel in Arizona — claiming the tape proves his innocence.
Before the start of Super Bowl LVII’s Media Week, NFL Network announced Irvin would not be on their airwaves for the entirety of their coverage of the league’s big game. Irvin told the Dallas Morning News he was pulled after having a conversation with a woman in the hotel lobby and was later “baffled” that the network yanked him after she alleged inappropriate behavior.
Irvin immediately filed a $100 million defamation lawsuit against the female employee and the hotel. The hotel’s management reportedly relayed the accusation. Marriott claimed that Irvin “flagged down” the employee, and a Federal judge ruled last week the hotel “blatantly” violated a court order to produce the videotape to Irvin’s legal team.
Marriot disclosed the details of the accusation against Irvin in a court filing, which reportedly states:
Irvin also reached out and touched the Victim’s arm during this conversation without her consent, causing her to step back, becoming visibly uncomfortable. Irvin then asked the Victim whether she knew anything about having a “big Black man insider of [her].” Taken aback by Irvin’s comments, the Victim responded that his comments were inappropriate, and she did not wish to discuss it further.
Irvin then attempted to grab the Victim’s hand again and said he was “sorry if he brought up bad memories” for her. The Victim puller he hand away and tried to back away from Irvin as he continued to move towards her.
On Tuesday, Irvin, alongside his lawyer, Levi McCathern, released the security footage of the night in question that showed the former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver talking with a young woman.
“Where she’s going makes no sense,” McCathern said. “If she’s not trying to intercept Mr. Irvin. She clearly has no reason to be walking where she’s walking as part of her job duties. It’s pretty clear she’s making a line of sight over to Michael to talk to Michael.”
“In the back, there were two employees that were together. There’s going to be a man in a vest you’re going to see throughout the video,” McCathern said. “This man, I think, is very, very important to this case. He’s in the back talking to the complaining witness before she comes out, and he comes around and posts up and watches her come up to talk to Michael.”
Irvin’s lawyer explained that the man in the vest clapped in the direction of where the woman stood as she was talking to the NFL Network analyst.
“You can draw your own conclusion; I think it showed he was either happy or he was upset that she was talking to Michael,” McCathern said. “He talks to a man in a gray shirt who appears to be security personnel. You’ll see a gray-shirted man circling the whole time. He’s clearly security for the hotel.”
“When the conversation ends, the complaining employee looks very happy,” McCathern said. “She does a little kick at the end.”
The NFL Network analyst finally addressed the reporters before he and his attorney played the video.
“I played this game hard. I played the game physical. And you guys know we all worry about it; we see what happens with our brethren, and we now know about CTE. I’m saying, ‘how can you say I’m doing something and I don’t know it, and you tell me to go home,” Irvin said.
“I’m just so thankful for those witnesses,” Irvin said. “I’m so thankful for this video, for this video because, without it, I just don’t know where this would have gone.”
McCathern then played the security footage, which does not have any audio attached to it. Notably, the allegation against Irvin is in regard to his verbal comments. Irvin is shown speaking to the woman before the man in the vest had his hands on his hips and began to pace around the bar area as Irvin continued to talk to the woman, and he touched her on her elbow.
The woman walked away from Irvin and met with the man in the vest as Irvin walked away with another fan to take a picture together.
“This is ridiculous,” McCathern said. “I know what happened here. It’s an overreaction based on the fact the word we used in the first press release was cancel culture. That’s where we are. There’s no doubt, from watching this, this woman’s not offended.”
“Is it possible the manager was upset at her for talking to Michael because he’s a celebrity and she shouldn’t? Is that possible, the manager was upset because he was some kind of relationship with her we don’t know about? We’ll find all this out in the case. But the one thing that is really clear, this is not a sexual assault, this isn’t sexual harassment, this isn’t sexual misconduct,” McCathern argued.
Last week, Irvin compared Marriott International’s treatment of him to “dragging and hanging brothers by the tree.”
Watch above via WFFA.
