Michael Irwin denounces misconduct accusation: ‘I know I didn’t do anything wrong’

Michael Irvin, a former Cowboys wide receiver, Hall of Famer and now sportscaster, defended Wednesday morning saying he was innocent of the recent allegation against him.

“I didn’t do anything wrong. I know I didn’t do anything wrong and I tried to make things right,” Irwin told reporters in Dallas.

Levy McCathern, Irwin’s lawyer, also defended Irwin and had witnesses via videoconference who said they saw what happened on the night of February 5th.

“The allegations are nonsense and we need to get Michael back to work immediately and I think Renaissance should apologize to him,” McKethern said.

Last month during Super Bowl week, Irvin was sent home and suspended from his duties at the NFL Network and ESPN after an employee at the Renaissance Phoenix Hotel & Spa accused Irwin of misconduct. As for the specifics of the complaint and what Irwin is accused of, it is not known at this time.

“I’m sick, I’m sick,” Irwin said of the way he was treated, comparing it to the Jim Crow era. “It takes me back to the time when a white man or woman accused a black man of something and they would take a group of guys who were above the law, run to the barn, tie a rope around his leg and drag him through the mud and hang him from a tree.” .

He said he didn’t know what to do because he didn’t know if he should even talk to people.

“Every day I meet people coming in and out of the lobby. I can’t even tell what she looked like. I don’t know. I don’t even know who I’m talking about when I say this. It just amazes me that in 2023 we are still dragging and hanging brothers behind a tree, it just amazes me, ”Irwin said, adding that he does not even know what he is protecting.

Last month, Irvine filed $100 million libel lawsuit against Marriott International Inc., a hotel manager, claiming he had been falsely accused of misconduct. According to his lawyer, the case was filed in Collin County, where Irvine lives.

McKettern said he was able to view the security footage for the first time on Tuesday with Marriott lawyers, but did not receive a copy or receive permission to record it.

He claims that Marriott violated the court order because they did not provide the video by 5 p.m. Tuesday. McKettern’s team filed an emergency petition to obtain a copy of the lobby footage.

“What’s so terrible about the public hall video they’re now using to destroy this man’s livelihood and reputation that they just won’t release it,” McKethern said.

He described what he saw in the video, saying that Irvin returned to the hotel lobby after taking pictures with fans on February 5.

“Then the accuser, seeing Michael coming back, comes out from behind the front desk and it looks to me like she’s approaching Michael and his group,” said the lawyer, who also said it’s hard to tell who started the conversation first because pillars on the way, but for witnesses to help figure it out.

He said they walked to the middle of the lobby and shook hands.

“He shakes her hand at the beginning, he shakes her hand at the end. He touches her elbow once, as many of you who have interviewed him know that he does this when he speaks, for a brief moment. he doubles over with laughter and sort of touches her other elbow with his hand. That’s it,” McKetern said.

“She clearly never looks upset, she doesn’t back down from Michael,” described McCathern, who said the conversation lasted about a minute and a half from what he saw on the video.

Irvine said he had not seen the video.

“I have not seen this entry. I want to see what I’m accused of, why they put my whole life on pause, why my family had to endure it. If I did something wrong, hey, I will suffer the consequences of what I did wrong. But if you did something wrong, you mean them, then they should suffer the consequences of what they did wrong,” Irwin said.

On a monitor behind Irwin were two men, Phil Watkins of Australia and Bryn Davis of Philadelphia, who said they were in the lobby when the alleged misconduct took place. Irwin’s lawyer said they learned about the men after they spoke on the radio about what they saw.

Two men who were there on a business trip said they took pictures with Irvine. His lawyer says they could be seen on CCTV footage.

Davis said they offered the Hall of Famer a drink because they thought “it would be cool to buy Michael Irwin a drink”. Davies said that Irvine refused because he had work to do the next morning, but he talked to them a bit and took photos.

“We went outside and took a few pictures and came back and when we walked back in a woman came around the corner, sort of met Michael on the corner, there was a very short interaction which was very friendly, a lot of laughter and Michael went back to his room. I went back to my seat and two days later I read the story we are talking about now,” Davis said.

“I was checking my phone when a young girl approached Michael and there was nothing wrong with the conversation,” explained Watkins, who said he was checking his phone to look at the photos they had just taken. “In general, I heard laughter. I looked up. A few handshakes, some more laughter, and they parted ways.

Sitting next to his lawyer and agent, Irwin is thrilled to listen to the witnesses.

“If I hadn’t told these guys, ‘Hey, you know how cool you guys were, let’s go outside and take a picture of this,’ then they wouldn’t be there for me and that would be the moment I had. alone, and I know no one wants to listen to what I had to say,” Irwin said.

Legal round trip

Marriott International Inc. made no statement about the allegations, but their lawyers filed various motions with the court.

According to court documents obtained by NBC 5, on Wednesday after the press conference, Marriott’s lawyers opposed Irwin’s motion to “execute the court’s order” to provide a copy of the video.

They called the emergency petition “legally flawed and premature.”

“He ignores the fact that Marriott not only complied with the court order, but also submitted documents before the deadline and specifically invited Mr. Irwin to personally view the videotape, which he chose not to do,” the court document says.

It goes on to say that Marriott informed Irvine’s legal counsel that it would deliver copies of “any non-confidential reports and testimony relating to Plaintiff’s case” on March 6. [Irvin] stay at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel and that this would make “the relevant video footage available for verification by the plaintiff and his attorney.”

Marriott International upheld its decision not to provide a copy, stating that it was “reasonable and necessary” to show the video for viewing only because, having heard the “repeatedly stated intent of the plaintiff (including at this morning’s press conference) to release the video to the public.”

The lawyers said in a court document that they believe if a copy is provided, it “risks the identity and privacy of the hotel staff and guests seen on the video.”

As of Wednesday, they have asked District Judge Amos Mazzant III to deny Irwin’s attorney’s request for a copy of the video. But if that doesn’t happen, they’re asking the court to issue a protection order that will prevent Irwin’s team from publicly disclosing any information.