Cowboys Legend Michael Irvin Cites Proof, Declares Innocence In Assault Case
DALLAS (105.3 THE FAN) - Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Michael Irvin, in an exclusive interview with 105.3 The Fan, says he's been informed by law-enforcement officials in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., that his name will be cleared in a sexual assault case involving a woman in Fort Lauderdale in late March.
"This is (me) being falsely accused of assaulting someone, and even something so heinous as drugging someone, and then assaulting them,'' the Dallas Cowboys legend tells "Fishnato." "See, this was not me saying that we had consensual sex, and she's saying it wasn't consensual. This was me saying nothing happened, and she's saying something happened. So since she went and got the (rape-kit) tests done (at a hospital), the tests will tell all of that truth, so I don't have any worry about that.''
Irvin suggests that the Fort Lauderdale police are preparing to issue an announcement that will exonerate him from any illicit involvement with the 27-year-old woman, who he considered a long-time friend, and that he's hoping the announcement will come within the week.
"This has been a most difficult time,'' Irvin says. "When we were younger, you know '95 and all of that, I wasn't trying to avoid (trouble). I was head-strong even though I was dead wrong and I was just doing things, you know? Now I'm trying to do everything the right way, and I was trying to do the right thing that night.''
In the interview, Irvin, 51 and now an NFL Network broadcaster, is clear in acknowledging behavioral issues during his playing days (including a pair of sexual assault charges, one determined to be false, the other resulting in a countersuit and a settlement) that are part of his legacy, as are the three Super Bowl winners driven in large part by his talent and unique leadership abilities.
And in explaining this incident, Irvin is clear with specific details that have been the basis of his explanation to police.
Says Irvin: "We were all out, a lot of friends and I, and I got a suite at the W. It's the best property in Ft. Lauderdale. It's a penthouse suite with two bed rooms, big kitchen, big dining room, so I tell everybody 'Hey listen, I'm going to get on an airplane. You guys can keep the room. I don't have to check out until 4 p.m., but with my flight, I've got to be at the airport at 6 a.m., so you guys can keep the room. You won't have to worry about driving, and if anybody wants to drive I'll get them an Uber home.'"
"I didn't even know (there was an accusation) when I left my room. I came back to get my bags, and I didn't even know. I didn't even know that anything was going on until eight days later. "Eight. Days. Later," says Irvin.
Irvin continues: "Now, this assault (supposedly) happened on March 21st. I find out, just like everybody else finds out from TMZ, on March 28th. Now, from March 21st to March 28th, this 'friend', who I did consider to be a friend, and I've known this girl for almost a decade, has been texting me and calling me for seven days. Texting me and calling me, "Are you coming back to Ft. Lauderdale? Let me set up a facial. XOXO. When are you are coming back? Are you going to come back by the hotel? … because my friend owns the hotel that she works at. I said "Yeah, I'll come by, we'll hang out and have a drink or something like that.'"
"For seven days, she's texting me … It's one thing when you're running around doing things (as he admits he did during his playing days), and being in situations where you get caught, it's kind of justified. But this? The blessed thing for me, in all of this, is that she went and got the (rape-kit) tests done. Oh, thank God! Because no matter what, if she didn't go get the tests done, then I'm screwed. Then I'm screwed," says Irvin.
While the woman is telling police that she was drugged and raped, Irvin is saying that he did everything possible to protect his friends after a night of drinking.
"It's mind-boggling that I'm in this situation, when I had done everything I could to absolutely make sure I'm not in this situation,'' Irvin tells 105.3 The Fan, noting that violence against women is "horrendous. (We must) make sure we are paying attention to it, and rightfully so, we need to pay attention to it.
But, he adds, "In our world, an allegation, even a false allegation that brings about an investigation, it's like a conviction. You're out. That just it, you're out. There's no 'innocent until proven guilty.' You're out until we prove that this was not true.''
And Michael Irvin wants you to know it is indeed about to be proven that this accusation is not true.
