Michael Irvin and his legal team released surveillance video Tuesday that they claim shows that the former Cowboys great did nothing wrong when he spoke to a Marriott employee.
The surveillance video is from the lobby of the Renaissance Hotel in Phoenix. It was turned over to Irvin as part of an expedited discovery after the ex-receiver filed a $100 million defamation lawsuit against Marriott.
The NFL had Michael Irvin removed from the hotel after an employee accused him of sexually harassing her. Irvin was doing pre-Super Bowl work for both the NFL Network and ESPN.
Marriott finally showed the surveillance video to Irvin and his attorney last week. Irvin showed it at a Dallas press conference Tuesday. This was hours after his legal team filed to have the lawsuit moved from a Dallas federal court to one in Phoenix. This is the third change in venue. Irvin initially filed the case in state court in Texas.
The video shows Irvin and the hotel employee talking. But there is no audio.
“I’m so thankful for this video because without it,” Michael Irvin told reporters. “I don’t know where this would have gone.”
NEW VIDEO: Lawyers for Michael Irvin show the surveillance video from the hotel where an employee mad a sexual assault allegation against Irvin. The length of the conversation was for nearly 2 minutes. Irvin says he talked to the woman about the sports shows he’s on. @FOX4 pic.twitter.com/1IRvzB0UmP
— Steven Dial (@StevenDialFox4) March 14, 2023
Michael Irvin said the conversation started because the employee asked him about what shows he was on. He said they talked football. But Irvin also conceded he’d consumed several drinks.
But according to court documents filed by Marriott, the employee said that Irvin was “aggressive in nature,” and appeared to be “visibly intoxicated.” She described the conversation as being sexual in nature.
According to court documents, Michael Irvin “reached out and touched the victim’s arm during this conversation without her consent, causing her to step back, becoming visibly uncomfortable.” The Marriott response also said that Irvin then asked the employee whether she knew anything about having a “big Black man inside of [her].”
Another employee approached Irvin. And the video shows Irvin lightly slapping himself in the face. The employee then takes a selfie with him.
Michael Irvin disputed ever having said that to the first employee. He said he’s “never” that way before.
“I don’t speak like that,” Irvin said on Tuesday. “I’ve never spoken like that. I totally deny saying that.”
Marriott said the employee told her manager about the Irvin encounter the next day. They contacted the NFL. Marriott said that the league had asked before any NFL personnel checked into the hotel to let them know if there were any issues.