Marriott, on the ropes early in its legal fight against Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin, has finally tried to counterpunch.
Via Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News, Marriott disclosed on Friday specific details about the allegations a female employee of a Phoenix hotel made against Irvin. The complaint got Irvin removed from NFL Network’s and ESPN’s Super Bowl-week programming.
Attorney Levi McCathern pushed back against the contention, calling it”marriott-releases-details-of-womans-accusation-against-michael-irvin/” data-ylk=”slk:total hogwash;elm:context_link;itc:0″ class=”link “total hogwash” in a statement to Gehlken.
“Marriott’s recently-created account goes against all the eyewitnesses and Michael’s own testimony as well as common sense,” McCathern told Gehlken. “We will release the video next week. There is no sexual assault. The fact Marriott is taking the position that it is an insult to all of the true female victims out there.”
In a court filing submitted on Friday, Marriott claimed that Irvin “flagged down” the employee as she walked from a bar area in the lobby. Irvin allegedly asked her about her work, said he found her attractive, shook her hand, and introduced himself.
She said, per Marriott, that she doesn’t follow the NFL. He allegedly told her to search his name on the Internet.
Here’s an excerpt from the document posted by Gehlken:
“Irvin also reached out and touched the Victim’s arm during this conversation without her consent, causing her to step back, becoming visibly uncomfortable. Irvin then asked the Victim whether she knew anything about having a ‘big Black man inside of [her].’ Taken aback by Irvin’s comments, the Victim responded that his comments were inappropriate, and he did not wish to discuss them further.
“Irvin then attempted to grab the Victim’s hand again and said he was ‘sorry if he brought up bad memories’ for her.’ The Victim pulled