Sep 12, 2019; Charlotte, NC, USA; NFL GameDay Kickoff analyst Michael Irvin before the game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
NFL: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers
(New York, NY) — A hotel employee of Marriott International accused Pro Football Hall of Famer and broadcaster Michael Irvin of inappropriate behavior on February 5th; as a result of the accusation Irvin was removed from covering the Super Bowl and he swiftly filed a $100 million lawsuit.
Now, Marriott is providing its account.
In a 28-page motion obtained by USA TODAY Sports on Friday, Marriott hardly criticized Irvin’s recent press conference on Wednesday where he said he was innocent and added the experience took him “back to a time where a white woman would accuse a black man of something, and they would take a bunch of guys that were above the law, run in a barn, put a rope around his foot and drag him through the mud and hang him by a tree.”
Marriott said in the filing “Irvin’s counsel provided a self-serving, inaccurate summary of the video footage Marriott produced, including his claim that the footage proves Irvin did nothing wrong and then turned the microphone over to Irvin to make racially charged statements.”
In the motion, Mariott describes the incident at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown in detail. They say Irvin flagged down the accuser and “appeared to be visibly intoxicated” and began displaying sexually aggressive behavior toward the employee.
“Irvin also reached out and touched the Victim’s arm during this conversation without her consent, causing her to step back, becoming visibly uncomfortable. Irvin then asked the Victim whether she knew anything about having a “big Black man inside of [her]. Irvin then attempted to grab the Victim’s hand again and said he was ‘sorry if he brought up bad memories’ for her.’ The Victim pulled her hand away and tried to back away from Irvin as he continued to move towards her.”
The victim told her manager about the incident and has not filed a police report. Marriott produced video evidence of what happened and gave it to Irvin’s team while also asking the court to order that it remain private.
