Forner Cowboys star Michael Irvin ended his $100 defamation million lawsuit against Marriott, with his lawyer filing to drop the case.
Levi McCathern, Irvin’s attorney, filed a notice of dismissal in US District Court on Monday. The news then broke overnight.
A WFAA reporter posted the legal notice on his Twitter account early Tuesday showing that the former Dallas Cowboy great wanted the case dismissed.
Michael Irvin Filed $100 Million Case as Soon as He Returned to Dallas
Michael Irvin brought the $100 million case against Marriott days after he returned home from Phoenix. A Marriott hotel called the NFL and alleged that Irvin made inappropriate comments/advances to one of its employees during Super Bowl week. The NFL Network and ESPN canceled Irvin’s Super Bowl assignments. He did work for both networks.
A judge ordered expedited discovery in the case and told Marriott to release security video that purportedly showed the exchange. Michael Irvin, his lawyer, and two witnesses then appeared at a press gathering last Wednesday in Dallas. At this time, only the lawyer had seen the video.
Michael Irvin told reporters: “I’m struggling, this is what I’m struggling with. You try to be an ambassador for the league. You try to raise people, lift people up. I always try to be good with people. Now I’m struggling, do I talk to people anymore? I was trying to do everything right. Had I not said to these guys, let’s go outside and take that picture, they wouldn’t have been with me. No one would have listened to what I have to say. No one would care what I have to say.”
Court records indicate that Marriott allowed the former receiver to see the video. The hotel chain filed a response Friday with more details. According to those documents, the alleged incident unfolded at the Renaissance Phoenix Hotel. Marriott reps say that Irvin “appeared to be visibly intoxicated.” He had a conversation with a female employee and asked her about sex with a Black man.
In the Friday filings, Marriott said another employee approached Irvin after the woman walked away. “After Irvin finished leering at the Victim and turned back to Employee 1, he said aloud ‘she bad,’ ‘she bad…’” followed by a sexual remark, according to the filing.
Irvin then “slapped himself in the face three times, saying ‘keep it together Mike.’”
McCathern responded to Marriott’s allegations, calling them “hogwash,” while adding they weren’t supported by witness testimony.
It’s unclear whether sides setlled the case before Michael Irvin filed for its dismissal.