Hall of Fame and former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin, suspended since a hotel employee made a complaint about him in February, will return to the NFL Network on Sunday.
Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News reported early Sunday morning that Irvin has settled his $100 million defamation lawsuit against Marriott and that Irvin will indeed return to NFL Network’s GameDay show. Irvin has not made an appearance on NFL Network or any other NFL-affiliated shows since the Super Bowl.
Michael Irvin returned to NFL Network’s NFL GameDay Morning Sunday after settling his defamation lawsuit against Marriott. “Good to be back.” pic.twitter.com/MxtXcAK6Fi
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 10, 2023
Why Was Michael Irvin Off the Air?
Irvin was pulled off the air by NFL Media and ESPN in February after a female Marriott employee complained about his behavior in a hotel lobby. The woman claimed that Irvin made lewd comments in their interaction.
In response to the accusation, NFL Media canceled all of Irvin’s subsequent Super Bowl-week appearances on any of their programs. ESPN followed suit and canceled a guest appearance from Irvin on “First Take.”
NFL Media vice president of communication, Alex Riethmiller, released a statement saying that Irvin would not be a part of NFL Network’s Super Bowl coverage. In April, Riethmiller reiterated this sentiment regarding Irvin’s input on the NFL’s coverage of the NFL Draft.
Shortly after the complaints were issued and Irvin was pulled, the Hall of Fame WR filed a $100 million defamation lawsuit against Marriott. According to the suit, Irvin claimed that Marriott International and a female employee “defamed him and interfered with a business relationship.”
MORE: PFN Life — Off-the-Field Content
The case has been tumultuous in court, with a federal judge openly criticizing Marriott for failing to comply with his order to turn over video evidence around the interaction between Irvin and the woman.
The unredacted video shows Irvin initiated physical touches like quick arm pats and a parting handshake during the rather short conversation with the employee. Irvin later testified he had consumed alcohol and couldn’t remember most of the details about their conversation, a statement later confirmed by witnesses who claimed they wanted to buy drinks for Irvin at the hotel bar.
No criminal charges were filed in the matter. The settlement terms of the lawsuit are unknown as of the time of this writing. With the case settled, NFL Media has lifted Irvin’s suspension, and he was cleared to return to their shows on Sept. 10.