No charges against Irvin in alleged rape
An angry Michael Irvin said yesterday that he was pleased but not surprised that Florida authorities won't file sexual assault charges against him.
An angry Michael Irvin said yesterday that he was pleased but not surprised that Florida authorities won't file sexual assault charges against him.
The former Dallas Cowboys star, at times appearing to hold back tears, spoke publicly for the first time since prosecutors in Florida declined to pursue allegations that emerged in a lawsuit accusing him of rape. A Florida woman filed suit Feb. 4 seeking unspecified damages for a sexual assault that she alleged occurred in July 2007 at a South Florida hotel.
"This has been the very thing I have tried so hard to avoid," Irvin said. "I am so pleased that trained investigators concluded that what she claimed occurred never happened."
Irvin has had previous legal problems, including a no-contest plea to cocaine possession in 1996. Later that year, Irvin and another Cowboys player were accused of sexual assault by a woman, but an investigation determined the story was false and the woman recanted.
Attorney Larry Friedman said Irvin didn't speak until yesterday because he had just returned the previous night from 2 weeks in Australia, where he was hanging out with actor Russell Crowe and his rugby team.
According to the woman's lawsuit, Irvin got her drunk and took her to his hotel room where he and an unidentified man insisted on sexual favors. The woman claims Irvin raped her and the other man forced her to perform oral sex.
Friedman said Irvin was approached by the woman's lawyer shortly before appearing on last season's "Dancing with the Stars" TV show. Irvin was told he must pay $1 million or a lawsuit would be filed to coincide with the Super Bowl.
Friedman has filed a countersuit against the woman claiming civil extortion and defamation. He is seeking $100 million in damages.
Irvin was fired from his Dallas-Fort Worth ESPN radio show on Feb. 5, the day after the lawsuit was filed. The network said the decision was made before the lawsuit surfaced and pointed to the show's poor ratings. Friedman said Irvin may sue ESPN for wrongful termination.