Stephen A. Smith has not had a full-time co-host on “First Take” with him since Max Kellerman left the present, however he has a candidate in thoughts.
Michael Irvin was faraway from NFL Network’s protection of the 2023 Super Bowl after alleged misconduct with a girl at a Phoenix lodge.
Irvin says he did nothing improper and filed a $100 million lawsuit in opposition to the worker and Marriott.
In any case, Irvin is a free agent, and Smith has him proper on the prime of his listing of potential co-hosts.
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Hall of Fame broad receiver Michael Irvin of the Dallas Cowboys watches a recreation between the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams at CenturyLink Field Oct. 3, 2019, in Seattle. (Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
“There’s not much on this planet Earth I would not do for Michael Irvin. That’s my brother. I love him to death, and I think he makes great television. And I would never ever, ever sit up there and tell anybody that I want anybody more than I want Michael Irvin,” Smith stated on his podcast.
“It’s just that things that are going on are out of my control. Whether it’s the NFL, it’s the NFL Network, it’s ESPN, I don’t know. And I don’t have any control over that. That’s beyond my pay grade.”
Irvin’s attorneys launched surveillance footage of the interplay with the worker. The two initially shake arms earlier than getting into the lodge bar, and, all through the dialog, Irvin appeared to the touch her elbow twice.
Irvin and the worker once more shook arms, and he or she went again contained in the bar. A number of seconds later, Irvin appeared to slap himself within the face thrice earlier than strolling towards the primary entrance to take a selfie with any individual after which again towards the foyer.
The video gives no audio, however Marriott claims {that a} “visibly intoxicated” Irvin made the worker “visibly uncomfortable” and requested her a sexually specific query.
Michael Irvin attends the 2022 Harold and Carole Pump Foundation Gala at The Beverly Hilton Aug. 19, 2022, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)
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Irvin and Marriott differ on the context of the dialog. Marriott says Irvin used sexually disturbing dialog, however the Hall of Famer says the dialog was by no means inappropriate.
“This sickens me because, in this great country, this takes me back to a time where a White woman would accuse a Black man of something, and they would take a bunch of guys that were above the law, run in a barn, put a rope around his foot and drag him through the mud and hang him by the tree,” Irvin stated. “Not a thought about what would happen, not investigation, not after repeated attempts of people trying to go and say, ‘Guys, here is what really happened.’
“How can I defend myself if I don’t even know what I’m defending myself in opposition to?” he added. “This simply blows my thoughts that in 2023 we’re nonetheless dragging and hanging brothers by a tree. That blows my thoughts that I’ve no alternative to defend — I don’t even know what I’m defending.”
Michael Irvin of NFL Network during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium March 3, 2022, in Indianapolis. (Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
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A couple of witnesses said there was nothing inappropriate about the interaction, with one saying it was “tremendous pleasant.”
Irvin has not been on the air since February.