NFL Network removed Michael Irvin from its coverage of Super Bowl week, allegedly due to an interaction involving the former Dallas Cowboys star and an unnamed woman.
The specifics of the situation haven’t been disclosed by the network.
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Irvin, who works as an analyst for the NFL Network, told The Dallas Morning News he had a short conversation with a woman Sunday night at a hotel in Glendale, Ariz., and that their only physical contact was a handshake.
“Honestly, I’m a bit baffled with it all,” Irvin told the newspaper. “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.”
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The former wide receiver, 56, says he didn’t know the woman. He contends there “absolutely was no sexual wrongdoing” and that he left after shaking hands.
“I don’t really recall that conversation, to tell you the truth,” Irvin told the Morning News. “We were out drinking. It was just a friendly conversation. ‘What’s up?’ I don’t even know. … I am totally perplexed.”
The woman didn’t file a formal complaint against Irvin, a source told the Daily News. The Glendale Police Department says it wasn’t informed of an incident involving the ex-athlete, according to the Morning News.
Irvin spent his entire 12-year NFL career with the Cowboys, winning three Super Bowls on teams also featuring quarterback Troy Aikman and running back Emmitt Smith. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007.
Irvin joined NFL Network in 2009. He also appears on the ESPN program “First Take.”
Glendale’s State Farm Stadium will host Sunday’s Super Bowl LVII between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.
