The first development in the defamation case brought by Michael Irvin against Marriott and an unknown accuser looks to be a win for the Playmaker. A judge has ordered the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel to turn over any video related to the interaction that led to his removal from scheduled appearances during Super Bowl week in Phoenix, AZ.
Irvin’s attorney, Levi McCathern, intiated the request for the footage believing it would clear his client’s name. On Thursday afternoon, a judge granted the motion. The hotel has been ordered to send the clips to Irvin by February 20.
The judge also ordered the hotel to provide:
- the name of the accuser
- names of anyone else who may have filed a complaint against Irvin
- the names of the NFL employees who received the complaints.
This story is baffling. Seemingly no evidence @michaelirvin88 did anything wrong. Witnesses who are talking are defending him. He wasted no time filing a lawsuit. Right now, it looks like he has a good case. No idea why he was presumed guilty. https://t.co/tDwoO80Waw
— Michele Tafoya (@Michele_Tafoya) February 11, 2023
WHAT LED UP TO THIS?
All of this comes after Michael Irvin was pulled from broadcast duties last week.
A Marriott employee, identified only as Jane Doe, accused Irvin of misconduct last Sunday. This led to both the NFL Network and ESPN removing the Hall of Famer from scheduled appearances. There are no announced plans for his return as of yet.
Irvin, who claims no wrongdoing, responded with a defamation lawsuit seeking damages in excess of $100 million. Irvin’s attorney claims his client suffered loss of income, damage to his reputation, and yet unrealized harm to the development of his career.
The specific allegations against the Cowboys legend have yet to be disclosed. No report so far has provided the name of the accuser or what led to a complaint.
Since the lawsuit was filed, a video has been circulating of what witnesses claim was the interaction being referenced in the misconduct complaint. The video is included in the Twitter post below.
At the @RenHotels in Phoenix on Sunday night- moments before the ‘interaction’ blown up in the media 🤳 pic.twitter.com/hL3xhu1U10
— MIⒸESTRO 🧀 (@bryndavis) February 8, 2023
Supporters of Michael Irvin believe the video to be evidence of his innocence in this situation. They believe the accuser is one of several fans in the video to whom the former wide receiver turned media personality spoke before retiring for the night.
According to the version of events presented by Irvin’s attorney, Irvin only met the presumed accuser after she had called him over in the hotel lobby to introduce herself. “Eyewitnesses described the interaction as ‘jovial’ and completely harmless,” McCathern wrote in the motion. He added that the interaction lasted less than a minute. His client then went to his room alone and fell asleep.
So far, there has been no official statement from the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel, PHXHotel, LLC, or Marriott International. NFL officials also have yet to provide additional informational on their role in this ongoing situation.
