The motion prompted a statement from Irvin’s attorney, Levi McCathern, who disputed the claims via The Dallas Morning News.
The Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel first claimed the retired NFL player made “harassing and inappropriate” comments on Feb. 5 to a worker listed as “Jane Doe” in court records. The complaint led to Irvin’s removal from NFL Network and ESPN’s Super Bowl Week lineup.
“Complete hogwash,” McCathern said in a statement to The News on Friday. “The narrative recently created by Marriott flies in the face of all eyewitnesses and Michael’s own testimony as well as common sense. We will post the video next week. There is no sexual assault. For Marriott to take this position is an insult to all true female victims.”
Irving is now charged with reporting the employee while “visibly intoxicated”. He then allegedly was aggressive towards the employee, shaking her hand, asking if she watched football, telling her his name on Google.
He is also accused of reaching out and touching the employee’s arm without her consent, before asking her if she knew anything about having a “big black man inside her”. Afterwards, Irvin allegedly tried to grab the employee’s hand again, saying he was “Sorry if it brought back bad memories for her.”
Marriott attorneys say Irvin then saw security and reached out to end the conversation.
“Seeing that other hotel employees were in the area and wanting the interaction to end, the victim returned Irvin’s handshake,” Marriott attorneys wrote. “Irvin then said he would be back to find her that week while she was working.”
“After Irvin finished ogling the victim and turned back to Employee 1, he said out loud, ‘She’s mean,’ ‘She’s mean,’ ‘I want to hit that,’ and s is slapped three times saying, ‘Keep it together, Mike,’ Marriott attorneys wrote.
“I was shocked by the way Marriott handled this situation. I am now disgusted and appalled. I would like the trial to take place tomorrow, so Michael can clear his name and get the compensation he deserves for Marriott’s reckless disregard for the truth,” McCathern added.
The legal battle between Irving and Marriott has only just begun
Marriott provided the details with a direct response to Irvin’s recent emotional comments at a press conference Wednesday with his attorneys. During the call, McCathern said he was able to view the soon-to-be-released footage, but was unable to record it. According to his account, the video shows Irvin making contact with the accuser four times, rubbing against her elbow twice and shaking her hand twice.
“How can I defend myself if I don’t know what I’m being accused of?” Irvin asked. “I don’t even know what this woman looks like. It drives me crazy that in 2023 we’re still hanging around and hanging brothers from a tree. (I) know I didn’t do anything wrong,” he said. -he declares.
Along with providing the details in the filing, Marriott wrote, “Irvin’s attorney provided a self-serving and inaccurate summary of the video footage produced by Marriott, including his assertion that the footage proves that Irvin did not did nothing wrong, then handed the microphone to Irvin to make a racist statement.”
Fridays, Marriott applied for a protective order as part of Irvin’s lawsuit to “ensure that Irvin and his attorney do not compromise the safety and privacy of the victim, hotel employees and his guests”. There are likely more depositions, statements and public comments to come ahead of a formal trial.