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Michael Irvin is still suspended from the NFL Network, official confirms

An NFL media official confirmed that Irvin is still suspended from the network following an alleged incident that got him sent home from Super Bowl coverage.

DALLAS — Cowboys Hall of Famer Michael Irvin won't be involved with the NFL Network's draft coverage next week.

An NFL media official confirmed that Irvin is still suspended from the network following an alleged incident that got him sent home from Super Bowl coverage in February.

The Dallas Morning News first reported the update Wednesday. Alex Riethmiller, the NFL's media vice president of communications, confirmed to WFAA that Irvin is still suspended.

Irvin was removed from the NFL Network's Super Bowl coverage after a reported incident with an employee at a Renaissance hotel in Phoenix in February.

The employee, a woman, reported an alleged issue with Irvin's conduct during an encounter in the hotel lobby.

Irvin said hotel security came to his room later that night and told him he had to leave the hotel. He was then suspended by the NFL Network for their Super Bowl coverage that week.

Irvin, as a result, sued Marriott, the hotel's parent company, for $100 million, denying he did anything wrong. Last month, after obtaining surveillance video from the hotel and re-filing the case in an Arizona court, Irvin and his attorney, Levi McCathern, played the video during a press conference in downtown Dallas.

The video showed Irvin walking through a hotel lobby in Phoenix and interacting briefly with a hotel employee. McCathern said the employee "clearly slows down" to interact with Irvin, and the two began to chat.

A column in the hotel lobby blocked the view of Irvin momentarily, and then he appeared to touch her elbow briefly. The two kept talking back and forth. Toward the end of their interaction, Irvin briefly touched the employee's other elbow, and then Irvin appeared to laugh at something she said. The two then shook hands, and the employee walked away.

Marriott lawyers in a court filing gave their account of what happened during the encounter.

Their filing said Irvin and the woman stepped into the hotel lobby, where Irvin shook her hand and after confirming she worked there, allegedly told her she was attractive and reached out to shake her hand and introduced himself. 

Irvin then reportedly asked her whether she watched football, the motion detailed, to which she responded that she didn't, and Irvin told her "she should look him up on the internet sometime." 

The filing adds that Irvin reached out and touched her arm without her consent during this exchange, causing her to step back, "becoming visibly uncomfortable." 

Irvin then reportedly asked her whether she knew anything about "having a big Black man inside of [her]," the filing stated. The victim reportedly said the comments were inappropriate and that she didn't want to discuss it further. Irvin then reportedly tried to grab her hand again and said he was "sorry if he brought up bad memories" for her, the filing said.

The woman reportedly pulled her hand away, the filing said, and tried to back away as Irvin continued moving toward her. Two other hotel employees reportedly noticed the woman's look of concern and began moving toward the two. Irvin reportedly then said "security" had noticed him and extended his hand for another handshake, which she returned, "wanting the interaction to end," the filing said.

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