Irvin won't take part in coverage going forward after being pulled from the network following an alleged complaint from a woman.
Former Cowboys star Michael Irvin was part of NFL Network's Super Bowl coverage on Monday night, but he won't take part in any other Super Bowl coverage going forward after being pulled from the network following an alleged complaint about his conduct.
According to the Dallas Morning News, a woman at Irvin's hotel made a complaint about the Pro Football Hall of Famer following an encounter with him on Sunday. It's not exactly clear what happened during the encounter, but NFL Media did confirm that Irvin has been pulled from its coverage of the Super Bowl this week.
"Michael Irvin will not be part of the NFL Network's Super Bowl LVII week coverage," NFL Network said in a statement to DMN.
Although NFL Network didn't offer any specific details about the incident, Irvin has been busy telling his side of the story. The three-time Super Bowl winner told the Dallas Morning News that he's not sure why he's being punished. According to Irvin, he did briefly speak to a woman in his hotel lobby on Sunday, but the entire encounter lasted less than a minute.
"Honestly, I'm a bit baffled with it all," Irvin said. "This all happened in a 45-second conversation in the lobby. When I got back after going out … I came into the lobby, and I talked to somebody. I talked to this girl. I don't know her, and I talked to her for about 45 seconds."
Irvin also noted that the only physical contact that took place during the brief encounter was a handshake.
"We shook hands," Irvin said. "Then, I left. … That's all I know."
Although Irvin remembered meeting the woman, he couldn't recall what was said during their brief conversation.
"I don't really recall that conversation, to tell you the truth," Irvin said. "We were out drinking. It was just a friendly conversation. 'What's up?' I don't even know. … I am totally perplexed."
According to Irvin, he talked with the woman for about 45 seconds.
"What law did I break?" Irvin said. "There was definitely nothing physical. … That's honestly all that happened. Nobody was in my room. It was a 45-second conversation in the lobby, a handshake and we left. … I don't know. I don't know what this is, and it's running me crazy."
In a separate radio interview, Irvin did mention that the encounter was caught on video by a hotel security camera, but he wasn't sure what the footage showed because he had not seen it yet.
"They said, 'well, last night, you walked in -- did you talk to somebody?' And I said, 'I didn't talk to anybody. I went straight to my room,'" Irvin told 105.3 the Fan in Dallas on Wednesday. "And then they showed on camera I did talk to somebody. I talked to this girl for about a minute. They didn't show [me the video]. They told me [that I was on video talking to her]. I don't know what she looks like or anything."
Following the incident, Irvin got moved to another hotel.
"That's why they moved me. Because the girl said I said something to her in that minute we talked," Irvin said.
According to the Dallas Morning News, police in Arizona haven't received any sort of complaint about Irvin's encounter. It's not clear when the NFL Network became aware of the complaint, but Irvin was working as recently as Monday night.
Michael Irvin interviewed Jalen Hurts on Monday night while working for NFL Network. John Breech
At Super Bowl Opening Night, Irvin interviewed several players and coaches for both teams, including Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni. However, Irvin wasn't on the air Tuesday and he won't be for the rest of the week. Irvin has worked for the NFL Network since 2009.
This story was originally published by CBS Sports on Feb. 9, 2023.
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