Exclusive: Evidence Collected In Sexual Battery Case Of Fmr. NFL Star Michael Irvin
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- On March 22nd, Fort Lauderdale Police detectives arrived at the W Hotel on Fort Lauderdale Beach in search of evidence in the rape investigation involving former NFL star and former University of Miami standout Michael Irvin.
A search warrant obtained by CBS4 News reveals specific new details on the case. The document shows that the case is being investigated by Fort Lauderdale Police as a sexual battery. It says that police went to the hotel looking for bedding like sheets and couch cushions, trace evidence like bodily fluids and hair, women's shoes or clothing and to take photographs of the inside and outside of room 2004 at the W Hotel.
TMZ first reported the allegations involving Irvin. According to TMZ, the woman went back to Irvin's hotel room after spending time with him at a bar. She reported feeling ill in his room and fighting Irvin off but then woke up hours later as Irvin was checking out of the hotel. The woman called 911 and said she believed she was drugged and sexually assaulted.
Irvin denies the accusations and his lawyer, Larry Friedman, released a statement to TMZ.
"The allegations are completely false," Friedman told TMZ. "In the few hours since we've learned about them we've already discovered many red flags about this young woman's background and the allegations she made against Michael. Even the complaint that she made specifically says she does not recall the events that took place. She was very drunk that night. Nothing happened and there was no assault."
We're also learning from the police search warrant about the items recovered from the hotel room. The warrant show that detectives took a bunch of things including:
- Sheets
- Pillowcases
- Towel
- 50 milliliter bottle of Patron tequila
- Water bottles and glass cups
- Gold shoes
- A sealed box of Magnum condoms
- Tissues
- Comb
- Papers
- Hairs
- Cigarette
- Throw blanket
- Face cloth with a bar of soap
A Fort Lauderdale Police spokesperson told CBS4 News that this remains an active and open investigation. There have been no arrests and they cannot elaborate on the details of the case.
Irvin spoke with a Dallas television station on Tuesday saying he did not rape the woman. He said the woman is like a niece to him and has spent time with his family. He said the woman was drunk and did not remember what happened that night. He also promised that there is video surveillance from the hotel which will help clear his name.
This isn't the first time he's been named in a sexual assault case. He was falsely accused by a woman in 1997 but she later admitted to lying and was sentenced to 90 days in jail. Ten years later in 2007 Irvin was accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a hotel room. After prosecutors decided not to press charges, the woman sued Irvin in civil court and he counter-sued for defamation. The two lawsuits ended up resulting in a confidential settlement.
Irvin has been a main host on the NFL Network for several years.