Michael Irvin may not have had the chance to spike the ball in an interview with ESPN, but he did do the next best thing.
Irvin recalled the timing that led up to his eventual signing with ESPN with The New York Post. There he said that his deal was coming up with FOX Sports Net’s Best Damn Sports Show Period and he wanted to transition from that daily show to a weekend NFL studio show so that he’d have more time free to pursue other opportunities.
“Best Damn Sports Show was a great show at the time,” Irvin said, “…the plan was always to get back to a weekend show, and ESPN gave me that opportunity with Chris Berman and Tom Jackson, who were the catalysts, the lead horse, in the race at the time. It was certainly a vertical move for me. ESPN is the 800-pound gorilla.”
Irvin said that he may have sealed the deal at the end of his interview with the network.
“My deal was coming up. ESPN called me,” he said. “I’ll never forget. It was right after the Bucs won the Super Bowl. Keyshawn Johnson called out Sterling Sharpe [over his lack of rings]. When they brought me in to interview, as I was leaving I looked at them and said, ‘Hey one last thing: you will never have to worry about someone calling us out saying we don’t have any rings again’ — and then I threw all of mine on the table like they were dice and walked out.”
