DALLAS — In the span of one week, Michael Irvin and his lawyer, Levi McCathern, hosted a second press conference regarding his encounter with an unknown woman at Marriott hotel in Las Vegas. On Tuesday, after several requests for the surveillance video of the incident from Marriott Hotels and Resorts, Irvin’s lawyer showed the video.

“This is ridiculous,” McCathern said, insisting the case indicated another example of “cancel culture.” “There is no doubt this woman was not offended. This is not a sexual assault, sexual misconduct, or sexual harassment. This tape is very, very clear.”

According to court records, a staffer at a Marriott hotel in Arizona accused him of crude language and unwanted touching during an encounter on Feb. 5. Following the incident, Marriott Hotels and Resorts banned Irvin from all of its properties. The fallout from the accusations also prevented the former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver and network analyst from appearing on the NFL network and ESPN during the Super Bowl and he hasn’t been seen on television since.

“I couldn’t even tell you what she looked like,” Irvin said at the initial press conference. “This just blows my mind that in 2023 we still dragging and hanging brothers by a tree.”

Marriott officials have not issued a formal statement in the matter, and, prior to the release of the video, McCathern told journalists that the hotel chain only allowed him to watch a short clip of the video and was not given permission to take notes or given the opportunity to make a copy of it nor get one. Therefore, he asked the judge to order Marriott Hotels and Resorts to provide him with a copy. As a result of the accusations, Irvin’s attorney filed a $100 million lawsuit in a Texas federal court against a Jane Doe and Marriott International, Inc. claiming not only defamation but also tortious interference in a business relationship. However, on Tuesday, McCathern announced that they filed to have the case dismissed without prejudice in the federal court and refiled the suit in Arizona, owing to Marriott's motion to dismiss the Texas suit on the basis that the action happened in Arizona, and not actually in Texas. The new suits list six defendants, including the accuser who is named “Jane Doe” plus three other hotel employees.  

“Defendants acted in willful disregard of the severe impact of their false accusations upon Mr. Irvin, his family, and his livelihood. The damage caused to Mr. Irvin by defendants’ actions has been swift and catastrophic, devastating Mr. Irvin personally and professionally,” the new lawsuit states. “Mr. Irvin brings this action to clear his name in court and begin the process of trying to restore his reputation and professional career.”

The video shows Irvin, multiple witnesses, and his accuser all standing around talking to the former football player at some point at either the hotel bar or lobby. For roughly two minutes, Irvin and the Jane Doe can be seen having a conversation where Irvin noted that they discussed the sport shows he appears on, only. However, in a court filing by Marriott, they claim that Irvin appeared to be intoxicated and touched the unknown woman plus made crude comments during their interaction. Last week during the press conference, two witnesses made statements disputing the accuser’s accusations against Irvin.

“There was nothing untoward out of the interaction,” Phil Watkins said, noting that Irvin left shortly afterwards heading toward the elevator, whereas the woman went back toward the bar.

A still visibly disturbed Irvin, during Tuesday's press conference, maintained that he did nothing wrong to the woman.

“I’m so thankful for this video, because without it, I don’t know where this would have gone,” he said. “The eye in the sky don’t lie.”

Marriott has yet to respond to the Arizona suit, which will likely determine whether it gets settled out of court, or go to trial.