NFL Network revealed Irvin will not be on air for the full of their coverage of the league's championship game before Super Bowl LVII's Media Week began. Irvin claimed to the Dallas Morning News that the network yanked him after he spoke to a woman in the hotel lobby and that he was afterwards "baffled" that they did so because of her alleged inappropriate behavior.
Irvin promptly sued the female employee and the hotel for defamation in the amount of $100 million. The accusation was apparently passed along by the hotel's management. A Federal judge found last week that Marriott "blatantly" disregarded a court order to provide the videotape to Irvin's legal team despite the hotel's assertion that Irvin "flagged down" the employee.
Marriot detailed the charges against Irvin in a court document, which reportedly reads: "During this talk, Irvin also reached out and touched the Victim's arm without her permission, causing her to recoil and show signs of discomfort. The Victim was then questioned by Irvin about her knowledge of having a "large Black man insider of [her]." Irvin's remarks startled the victim, who retorted that she did not want to talk about it any longer and that they were improper."
Irvin then made another attempt to take the victim's hand while apologizing for possibly bringing back unpleasant emotions for her. Irvin kept approaching her as the victim puller tried to back away and threw his hand away.
Irvin released the security tape from the incidental night on Tuesday along with his attorney Levi McCathern, showing the former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver conversing with a young woman.
McCathern remarked, "Where she's heading makes no sense. "If she isn't attempting to snag Mr. Irvin. She plainly has no cause to be walking where she's walking as part of her professional duties. She clearly has Michael in her line of sight as she approaches him to speak with him.
Two staff were seated side by side in the rear. You'll see a man wearing a vest throughout the video, according to McCathern. "This man, in my opinion, is crucial to this case. He is in the back conversing with the complaining witness before she emerges, and when she approaches Michael to speak with him, he turns around and posts up.
Irvin's attorney claimed that as the woman was speaking with the NFL Network commentator, the man in the vest clapped in her general direction.
You can make your own conclusions, but in my opinion, it was clear that he either approved of or disapproved of the fact that she was speaking with Michael, McCathern said. He converses with a man wearing a gray shirt who appears to be security. A man in a gray shirt will be seen circling the entire time. He is unmistakably a hotel security officer.
The unhappy employee seemed to be extremely pleased when the conversation is over, according to McCathern. "She finishes with a slight kick."
Before he and his counsel aired the footage, the NFL Network analyst spoke to the media at the end.
"I gave this game my all. I used my body to play the game. You guys know that we all worry about it because we see what happens to our brothers and sisters and because we now understand 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 added.
Irvin remarked, "I'm just so grateful for those witnesses. "I simply don't know where this would have gone without this video, so I'm so grateful for this video," the speaker said.
The security film, which lacks any audio, was then played by McCathern. It should be noted that Irvin is accused of making verbal remarks. Irvin is seen talking to the woman, and then, when the man in the vest put his hands on his hips and started to move around the bar area, he touched the woman's elbow.
Irvin stepped away with a second fan to snap a photo with the woman as she went to meet the man in the vest.
