In a significant development, former Dallas Cowboys star and Pro Football Hall of Famer, Michael Irvin, has settled his defamation lawsuit against Marriott and six others. The resolution paves the way for his official return to the NFL Network just in time to kick off the 2023 season.
Irvin’s lawsuit stemmed from an incident in February, where a female employee at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel accused him of making lewd and inappropriate comments in a hotel lobby in Arizona. In the wake of these allegations, he was removed from the NFL Network’s Super Bowl coverage and had not appeared on the network since.
The $100 million defamation and tortious interference lawsuit against Marriott and others had cast a shadow over Irvin’s career. The specific terms of the settlement between Irvin and Marriott have not been disclosed at this time.
NFL Media vice president of communication, Alex Riethmiller, announced the reinstatement, saying, “Michael Irvin has been reinstated and will be a part of the NFL Networkâs coverage of the 2023 season.”
The accusations against Irvin included claims of misconduct and inappropriate behavior towards a hotel employee during his stay ahead of the Super Bowl earlier this year. However, the details of these allegations remained unclear initially. According to Marriott’s legal motion, Irvin had approached the hotel employee, appeared to be visibly intoxicated, and exhibited aggressive behavior towards her following his return from a dinner.
Video footage of the encounter between Irvin and the female employee emerged in March, despite Marriott’s efforts to prevent its release. The video depicted a brief interaction, with Irvin shaking hands with the woman, touching her arm twice, and parting ways after approximately two minutes.
Throughout the controversy, Michael Irvin steadfastly denied the allegations, expressing his bewilderment at the situation. He explained that the entire incident occurred in a brief 45-second conversation in the hotel lobby, during which he had been drinking. Irvin stated that he could not recall the specifics of the conversation and reiterated his perplexity about the allegations.
It’s important to note that no criminal charges were ever filed in connection with the incident.
Michael Irvin enjoyed a distinguished playing career, spending 12 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys from 1988 to 1999. He secured three Super Bowl victories with the franchise and was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007. Following his retirement as a player, Irvin transitioned to a successful career as an analyst with the NFL Network, where he has been contributing since 2009.
With the defamation lawsuit settled, Irvin can now look forward to resuming his role as an analyst for the NFL Network and making his presence felt as the 2023 NFL season unfolds.
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