Michael Irvin releases video of encounter with hotel employee
DALLAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) – An attorney for Michael Irvin has released video of the interaction between the former Dallas Cowboys player and an employee of the Renaissance Phoenix hotel in February that prompted the NFL to suspend him as a commentator just before the Super Bowl.
At a press conference in Dallas, Irvin said footage of the nearly two minute encounter shows it's true nature.
"I'm so thankful for this video," he said.
The video shows the employee walking into the hotel bar, where she works. Irvin enters from the opposite side and walks along the bar area, stopping to talk with the woman.
The video has no sound, so it's not clear what was said or who started the conversation.
Irvin says the two talked about football, a common topic in his interaction with fans.
Marriott, however, in response to a lawsuit filed by Irvin, claimed in a court filing he told the employee she was attractive, made a sexually suggestive comment, and said he would look for her later.
"I don't speak like that. I've never spoken like that," Irvin said.
In the video, the woman is seen taking a step back several times when Irvin touches her arm and moving her arms behind her back.
The two eventually shake hands and part ways.
It was the following night, Irvin says, he was woken by security kicking him out of the hotel without explanation. According to Marriott's attorney, it was an NFL security that escorted him out.
"Someone tells you, 'Pack your bags. Leave. Go home.' I said, 'Why? What happened? Sexual assault? Who with? Nobody was in my room'. 'Well, don't worry. Go home. We'll talk.' If you tell me I'm doing something and I don't know what I'm doing, you can't tell me to just go home," said Irvin.
Irvin says he became worried that he didn't remember doing anything wrong, mentioning fellow football players he's seen impacted by head trauma.
He's grateful, he says, the video shows him acting normally.
"What was most important to me was to find out that I'm okay," he said. "I want to make sure I'm okay for my family and everything."
Marriott told a federal court its employee, identified only as Jane Doe, reported an uncomfortable encounter with Irvin to a manager.
The hotel, in turn, notified the NFL, which, it says, had requested to know of any incidences involving rooms it had booked.
The league, Marriott reports, sent an investigator who interviewed Doe and reviewed surveillance video before having its security ask Irvin to leave.
Irivin is suing Marriott, Doe, and other employees. The case filed in federal court in Collin County, where Irvin lives, has been withdrawn.
It has been refiled in state courts in Arizona, where the hotel is located. Irvin is seeking damages for the impact the accusations have had on his job and on his reputation.
