The night that Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin was accused of misconduct with a female employee, two men who were in the hotel lobby of a Phoenix, Arizona, building said Wednesday that they did not witness him do anything improper and that their brief interaction with the woman appeared friendly.
Irvin and his lawyer participated in a news conference via video link with Phil Watkins of Australia and Bryn Davis of Philadelphia.
Irvin claims that a bogus misconduct charge on February 5 led to his eviction from the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel and his removal from NFL Network’s Super Bowl week coverage. He has launched a $100 million defamation lawsuit against Jane Doe and Marriott International Inc.
Watkins reported that he observed “absolutely nothing” that would be construed as improper and that Irvin and the woman exchanged handshakes and smiles. Irvin soon left for the elevator as the woman headed back into the bar, saying, “There was nothing inappropriate out of the discussion,” Watkins claimed.
Irvin claims he did nothing wrong and entered his room by himself. He claimed that no inappropriate physical contact occurred.
Levi McCathern, Irvin’s lawyer, expressed dissatisfaction that Marriott had not sufficiently given him access to the encounter’s video. In Marriott’s legal offices on Tuesday, McCathern claimed he was permitted to view a brief film but was not permitted to capture or create a copy.
According to McCathern, the footage showed Irvin greeting the woman, shaking her hand, and touching her elbow twice before walking away. McCathern claimed he requested a judge to order Marriott to supply him with a copy.
The accusations are absurd, McCathern declared. Michael needs to start working again right away, and Renaissance ought to apologise, in my opinion.
Irvin protested that he hadn’t been given access to the footage during the news conference, appearing to cry briefly. He contrasted the accusations and their effects to the treatment of Black males under Jim Crow. Irvin stated, “I couldn’t even describe to you what she looked like. That we are still dragging and hanging brothers from trees in 2023 absolutely blows my head.
