NFL Network pulls Irvin from lineup
Benched over hotel incident
Michael Irvin has been pulled from the remainder of NFL Network’s Super Bowl week coverage after a complaint about Irvin’s behavior in a hotel Sunday night.
The Hall of Fame receiver went on a Dallas radio station Wednesday and said he was asked by network officials to move to another hotel on Monday after what he described as a brief encounter with a woman.
“Michael Irvin will not be part of NFL Network’s Super Bowl LVII week coverage,” NFL Network spokesman Alex Riethmiller said
In interviews with Dallas’ 105.3 The Fan and the Dallas Morning News, Irvin said the conversation with the woman lasted between 45 seconds and one minute. Irvin also said he initially didn’t remember the meeting because “I had a few drinks, to tell you the truth.”
Irvin said he did not know the woman and that there was “no sexual wrongdoing.”
“Sunday night … when I came into the hotel, they asked what I did and I said, ‘I just went straight to the room,’” Irvin said during the “Shan & RJ” show. “But I guess I had met somebody in the lobby. Talked to somebody in the lobby for about a minute, and then I went to my room. And then after I got up there, they said they had to move me in the hotel.
“I said: ‘I didn’t talk to anybody. I went straight to the room.’ And then they showed it on camera that I did talk to somebody. I talked to this girl for about a minute. I don’t know what — they didn’t show it to me. They told it to me. I didn’t see it. ... I guess the girl said I said something to her within that minute that we talked, and so they moved me.”
Irvin has been with NFL Network since 2009.
Glendale, Ariz., police said they have not received any reports about any incident involving Irvin.
Elsewhere
From diversity to concussions, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell reiterated the league is still looking for improvement. Goodell addressed those topics and more in his annual Super Bowl news conference.
DeMeco Ryans became the NFL’s third Black head coach when Houston hired the former Pro Bowl linebacker and 49ers defensive coordinator.
“I still feel like there’s better work and more work ahead of us,” Goodell said. “I think there’s progress and we’re pleased to see progress but there’s never enough. We look to see how we can make things better.”
The NFL announced last week concussions had increased by 18% during the regular season.
NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith pointed out the league and the players’ union have, since 2009, instituted return to-play protocols, brought in sideline concussion experts, revamped health and safety standards and made it a requirement for team doctors to comply with all federal and state guidelines.