You won’t see Michael Irvin on TV this week covering the Super Bowl, as the Dallas Cowboys legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer has been benched by broadcasters due to a misconduct allegation made by a woman the former wide receiver encountered at a hotel.
NFL Network has pulled Irvin in the wake of the unspecified events, which took place Sunday night at a hotel in Arizona. Between the network and the woman who brought the claims, no one is talking.
“Michael Irvin will not be a part of NFL Network’s Super Bowl LVII week coverage,” Alex Riethmiller, NFL Media’s vice president of communications, said in a statement, according to the Dallas Morning News.
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However, as usual, Irvin is confused.
“Honestly, I’m a bit baffled with it all,” Irvin told the Dallas Morning News. “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.”
In an interview with 105.3 The Fan on Wednesday morning, Irving claimed he didn’t remember the interaction after having “a few drinks.” It’s also been reported that a spokesperson from the Glendale Police Department said they had no knowledge of any reported incident involving Irvin.
In 2018, Irvin was named in a sexual harassment lawsuit filed against NFL Network, and also served a previous suspension by the company. In 2017, the Broward County (Florida) State Attorney’s Office chose not to pursue charges against Irvin after a sexual assault investigation. (He denied the allegations.) In 2011, a settlement was reached in a civil lawsuit that accused Irvin of sexual battery. And in 1997, a woman that then accused Irvin and former Cowboys teammate Erik Williams of rape in 1996 recanted her story and admitted she lied, according to the police.
