Michael Irvin is firing back. He was pulled off NFL Network’s coverage of Super Bowl LVII after a complaint was filed against Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Irvin by a female he encountered in a hotel lobby.
Now, Irvin filed a $100 million lawsuit against the woman Thursday, alleging that the hotel employee devised a plan to defame him.
“Rash and thoughtless actions can have severe consequences,” the lawsuit says. “Marriott [parent company of Renaissance Hotels] apparently did not appreciate these simple truths when, in a rush to judgment, its employees and management inaccurately and inflammatorily accused Mr. Irvin of misconduct to the National Football League.”
“It is clear Michael is the latest victim of our cancel culture where all it takes is an accusation to ruin a person’s life,” an attorney for Irvin told TMZ. “Michael looks forward to clearing his name in court and hopes the Court of public opinion will see the truth come out as well.”
Irvin has characterized the interaction with the woman as only a “friendly conversation”.
“When I got back after going out … I came into the lobby and I talked to somebody,” Irvin told The Dallas Morning News. “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.”
Irvin has been the subject of several allegations of impropriety during his long time in the national spotlight. In 2007, he was accused of sexual assault while at a casino in Florida. He subsequently filed a $100 million defamation countersuit, and the case was settled out of court in 2011. The 56-year-old was also accused of sexual assault in 2017, again in Florida, but after nearly four months of investigating, the Broward County State Attorney’s Office declined to charge him.
In 1996, Irvin was alleged to have sexually assaulted a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader with teammate Erik Williams before an NFC Divisional Playoff game while both were under the influence of cocaine. However, the accuser later recanted her story and was sentenced to 90 days in jail after she was found guilty of perjury and filing a false police report.
