NFL Network has removed former Dallas Cowboys and Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin from its Super Bowl coverage this week following allegations of hotel misconduct on Sunday night, the network announced.
“Michael Irvin will not be part of NFL Network’s Super Bowl LVII week coverage,” Alex Riethmiller, vice president of communications for NFL Media, said in a statement, according to the Dallas Morning News.
Neither the complainant — a woman — nor NFL Media offered details about the nature of the allegations. Irvin, however, told the Morning News he didn’t recall any issues with meeting the woman, only that they shook hands and talked for less than a minute in the lobby of the hotel.
“Honestly, I’m a little confused by the whole thing,” Irvin told Morning News. “This all happened during a 45 second conversation in the lobby. When I came back from leaving…I walked into the lobby and spoke to someone. I spoke to this girl. I don’t know her and I talked to her for about 45 seconds. We shook hands. Then I left. … That’s all I know.
“I don’t really remember that conversation, to tell you the truth. We were out drinking. It was just a friendly conversation. ‘What’s new?’ I do not even know. … I am totally puzzled.
Irvin has been an analyst for the network since 2009 and covered Monday’s Super Bowl opening night. It was then that he would have been informed of his conversation with the woman. Irvin later told “Shan & RJ” on 105.3 the Fan in Dallas that he was told he had to change hotels after the interaction but still didn’t know what happened.
“When I walked into the hotel, they asked what I had done and I said, ‘I just went straight to the room,'” Irvin said. “But I guess I had met someone in the lobby. I talked to someone in the lobby for about a minute and then I went to my room. And then after I went up there , they said they had to let me into the hotel. I said, “Bring me into the hotel for what?
“They said, ‘Well, last night you walked in, you talked to somebody. I said, ‘I haven’t spoken to anyone. I went straight to the bedroom. And then they showed on camera that I had spoken to someone. I talked to this girl for about a minute. I don’t know what — they didn’t show it to me. They told me. I have not seen it. But that’s why they moved me, ’cause I guess the girl said I said something to her the minute we spoke, and so they moved me.”
No further updates on Irvin or the complaint against him have been released at this time.