Marriot has published its own account of what happened during an encounter between Michael Irvin and a hotel employee last month, accusing the NFL Network analyst of making unwanted sexual advances.
The NFL legend was in Arizona to work on the Super Bowl but was pulled from his broadcast duties before the game after an employee at the Renaissance Phoenix Hotel & Spa accused him of harassing her.
Irvin is now seeking $100 million in damages from ‘Jane Doe’ and the Marriott, with the latter initially reluctant to share internal surveillance footage of the incident, likening the situation to a modern-day lynching at a news conference.
Marriott filed a motion Friday in response to the lawsuit, countering with its own version of the events of the February 5 meeting.
The move seen by DailyMail.com claimed the 57-year-old’s characterization of the incident was inaccurate and accused Irvin of making unwanted sexual advances, asking the employee “if she knew anything about having a ‘big black man inside’ ( she) .”‘
Marriot has published its own account of what happened during an encounter between Michael Irvin and a hotel employee last month.
He was sent home from the Super Bowl after an alleged incident in the lobby of this hotel
“Irvin’s lawyer provided a self-serving and inaccurate summary of the video footage Marriott produced, including his claim that the footage proves Irvin did nothing wrong and then handed the microphone over to Irvin to make racially charged statements,” Marriott stated in the motion.
“This takes me back to a time when a white woman would accuse a black man of something and they would take a bunch of guys who were above the law, run around the barn, put a rope around his foot and they dragged him through the mud and hung him from the tree,’ Irvin had said at a news conference earlier this week.
Marriott claims in the filing that Irvin “appeared to be visibly intoxicated” and approached the accuser, shook her hand, told her she was attractive and asked if she watched football.
‘Irvin also reached out and touched the victim’s arm during this conversation without her consent, causing her to back away and feel visibly uncomfortable. Irvin then asked the victim if she knew anything about having a “big black man inside (her),” the lawsuit says.
‘Irvin then attempted to grab the victim’s hand again, saying that “I’m sorry if it brought back bad memories.” Victim pulled her hand away from her and tried to move away from Irvin as he continued to move toward her.
Two other hotel employees reportedly noticed her colleague was uncomfortable when she returned to work and the accuser went to work the next day and reported the incident to her manager, who told her to take the complaint to Loss Prevention, according to the lawsuit. .
The filing also claims that after the accuser left the interaction, Irvin turned to another employee and said loudly, “she’s mean,” “she’s mean,” “I want to hit that,” and then “slapped himself three times.” “. saying “stick together, Mike”.
The accuser was later interviewed by NFL investigators, and Irvin left the hotel later that night.
Irvin’s attorney, Levi McCathern, denied the claims.
The motion seen by DailyMail.com accused Irvin of making unwanted sexual advances and asked the employee “if she knew anything about having a ‘big black man inside of her'”.
Irvin, pictured at UFC 285 last weekend, is seeking a whopping $100 million in damages.
The Hall of Fame wide receiver was removed from NFL Network coverage following the indictment.
“The accusations don’t make sense,” McCathern said. “We need to get Michael back to work immediately, and I think Renaissance should apologize.”
Marriott finally turned over video of the Phoenix, Arizona Marriott hotel after a federal court ordered the chain to do so.
Although the network would not give him a copy or allow him to record the footage, McCathern says the exchange between the accuser, a hotel worker, and Irvin appeared innocent.
Marriott accused Irvin’s legal team (pictured, attorney Levi McCathern) of “providing a selfish and inaccurate summary”
McCathern says the tape shows Irvin and the woman meeting behind a pole before entering the camera’s field of view.
The lawyer says Irvin was seen touching the woman only four times, twice for a handshake to say hello and goodbye, as well as two nudges on the elbow.
“She never acts upset,” McCathern said of the woman’s behavior.
‘She doesn’t act like there’s any problem at all.’
In addition to the video, McCathern introduced two witnesses via Zoom who were in the lobby when the alleged incident occurred and said they saw nothing inappropriate between the two.
The two men who were in the lobby of a Phoenix hotel the night Hall of Fame wide receiver Irvin was accused of misconduct with an employee said they saw him do nothing wrong and that his brief interaction with the woman seemed friendly.
Phil Watkins of Australia and Bryn Davis of Philadelphia appeared at a news conference via video link with Irvin and his lawyer.
Watkins said he saw “nothing at all” that could be considered inappropriate, and that Irvin and the woman shook hands and laughed.
“There was nothing wrong with the interaction,” and Irvin soon left for the elevator as the woman returned to the bar, Watkins said.
