On Wednesday, the NFL Network told Michael Irvin that it would move forward with its coverage of Super Bowl LVII without him.
The network’s decision to exclude Irvin from its broadcasts during the week of Super Bowl LVII is reportedly tied to an interaction Irvin had with a hotel employee. The network didn’t provide details regarding the interaction, but Irvin told media outlets that it was brief and there was “absolutely no sexual wrongdoing” during the encounter.
“Honestly, I’m a bit baffled with it all,” he told the Dallas Morning News.
“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.”
Despite refuting the allegations of misconduct levied against him, he will not return to the NFL Network this week. On Thursday, he responded by filing a $100 million lawsuit against the hotel and the accuser.
“Rash and thoughtless actions can have severe consequences. Marriott [parent company of Renaissance Hotels] apparently did not appreciate these simple truths when, in a rush to judgment, its employees and management inaccurately and inflammatorily accused Mr. Irvin of misconduct to the National Football League,” the lawsuit reads.
Irvin does not only appear on NFL Network. He also frequently appears alongside Stephen A. Smith on ESPN’s First Take. He is scheduled to be on ESPN’s debate show on February 10, but it is unclear how this situation will impact his relationship with the network.
