Lawyers for NFL Hall of Famer and former Dallas Cowboy Michael Irvin have released surveillance footage from the hotel in Phoenix where an employee accused him of harassment.
“I’m so thankful for this video. Without it, I just don’t know where this would have gone," Irvin said.
Irvin was in Phoenix for Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 5 when an employee at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown accused him of "harassing and inappropriate comments."
A judge ordered Marriott to release the video from the hotel by 5 p.m. Monday. Instead, Irvin's lawyer said he was allowed to see the video but not make copies.
"I was asked to empty all my pockets and searched so I couldn't have any recording devices. I absolutely declined and said, 'I'm not going to do that, but I'm not going to record anything without your permission, either,'" Irvin's lawyer Levi McCathern said.
"All during the viewing of the video, I was required to sit in a room with the other counsel watching me, seeing what I was doing. I was not free to talk about what was on the video, and I don't have a copy that I can even talk to my client about. What is so damning about a video that was taken in a public lobby that they're now using to try to destroy this man's livelihood and reputation?"
McCathern filed an emergency motion to enforce the judge's order.
"I haven't seen this tape. I want to see what I'm being accused of, why I'm putting my whole life on hold," Irvin said.
Three people McCathern said were in the lobby at the time joined the meeting by video conference.
"There was nothing really untoward out of the interaction," one man who was in the lobby said. "Basically, I heard some laughter. I looked up, there's a few handshakes, some more laughter and they went their separate ways."
The lawsuit seeks $100 million from Marriott, the company that owns the hotel, and the employee. The suit accuses them of defamation and interference in a business relationship.
As a result of the accusations, Irvin said NFL Network and ESPN canceled scheduled appearances around the Super Bowl.
"I know I didn't do anything wrong, and I was trying to do everything right," Irvin said. "I just get emotional thinking about it because I'm struggling with what to do moving forward."
KRLD asked Marriott for a response Wednesday morning but did not receive an immediate response.
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