At a time when Marriott apparently is keeping relevant evidence close to the vest, Michael Irvin is putting his cards on the table.
via: BET
Michael Irvin’s attorney says he is “mad as hell” that Marriott International missed a judge’s deadline to provide video evidence of the former NFL wide receiver’s alleged wrongdoing during a recent stay at one of its hotels. Irvin has filed a $100 million defamation lawsuit to vindicate his reputation.
On Feb. 17, the judge overseeing the case issued a Feb. 20 deadline for the hotel chain to submit its video evidence and other requested information related to an Feb. 5 incident involving Irvin’s alleged conduct toward a female employee at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel.
Irvin’s lawyer Levi McCathern, told The Dallas Morning News that he didn’t receive the video or any of the other information requested, including the names of the people connected to the complaint against Irvin.
“I’m mad as hell that they’re hiding this stuff that is so relevant to my client’s livelihood. I think it is terrible they’re doing that,” McCathern said. “I don’t know what’s on the video. None of us have gotten to see it. But I sure think that, at a minimum, Michael has got a right to see the video.”
Instead of complying with the judge’s order, the hotel chain provided a lengthy explanation for why it declined to submit the alleged evidence. The News reported that an attorney representing Marriott didn’t respond to its Feb. 21 request for comment, adding that the defendant has either declined or not responded to multiple requests for comments since McCathern filed the Feb. 9 lawsuit.
In court documents, Irvin said he met the unnamed woman when she introduced herself in the hotel lobby. He stated that witnesses of the encounter have described the interaction as harmless.
Irvin told Dallas radio station KRLD and The News that he had a brief conversation with her that lasted between 45 seconds and one minute, but “there was no sexual wrongdoing,” The Washington Post reported.
“We shook hands. Then I left. … That’s all I know,” Irvin recalled, adding that he didn’t remember the meeting at first because “I had a few drinks, to tell you the truth.” Irvin said he went to his hotel room and slept.
Phoenix police did not receive a complaint about Irvin’s alleged behavior immediately after or in the days following the incident, The News reported.
He was in Arizona for media week coverage of Super Bowl LVII. Following the complaint, the NFL Network removed Irvin from its media team. “Irvin’s status with the network beyond this week is unclear,” an NFL Network spokesman told The Post.
In addition to defamation, the lawsuit accuses Marriott of wrongful interference in a business relationship.
