NFL Network analyst Michael Irvin has voluntarily dropped his $100 million defamation lawsuit against an Arizona woman who accused him of impropriety at hotel during the week of Super Bowl LVII.
Irvin’s decision comes after he received the hotel security camera footage a court ruled his representation should be given late last month. However, Marriott fought the order, and only allowed his lawyer to view the footage. The company refused to give a copy to Irvin’s attorney, wouldn’t let the Pro Football Hall of Famer view the footage himself, and would not allow the attorney to take a recording to show Irvin.
Irvin plans to showcase the interaction at a Tuesday press conference.
According to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News, the case was dismissed by Irvin without prejudice, meaning he can file a new lawsuit. Marriott has contended it does not own the hotel where the alleged incident happened.
The hotel chain had also filed a motion to prohibit the video being shown publicly. With Irvin now in possession of the footage and the case being dismissed, a court could not stop him from exhibiting the video.
A report late last week claimed the woman shared with co-workers that Irvin had propositioned her. Irvin has continually claimed it was a brief, friendly encounter, but due to the amount of alcohol he had consumed that evening, could not even recall meeting the woman. Eyewitnesses secured by Irvin’s legal team claim that they saw the interaction and claim the woman did not act as if she had just been sexually harassed.
