Former 'Cane, NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin accused of rape at Fort Lauderdale hotel

Incident reported March 22 at W hotel

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. ā€“ Former Miami Hurricanes wide receiver and NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin is under investigation by Fort Lauderdale police after a woman claimed that Irvin raped her at the W hotel, TMZ SportsĀ first reported.

Fort Lauderdale police confirmed Wednesday that they are investigating the current NFL Network analyst for a sexual battery incident reported March 22 at the hotel in the 400 block of North Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard.

They did not release any other details about the incident.

TMZ Sports reported that a 27-year-old woman went to Irvinā€™s hotel room early that morning after joining him at a bar and began to feel sick in the hotel room.

The woman said she only remembers fighting off Irvin and believes that she was drugged and raped, TMZ Sports said.

According to the gossip site, the woman left in an Uber after she woke up and called 911.

The site reported that the woman texted Irvin, asking him if they had sex. She claimed he told her that he would never do something to hurt her.

Irvin's attorney told Local 10 News reporter Sanela Sabovic that his client was blindsided by the allegations, had known the woman for years and believes this is all about money.

"Michael was blindsided yesterday by these allegations," attorney Larry Friedman said. "We actually heard about it first from the press. He was shocked and surprised, and he unequivocally denies the allegations that we know of that were made by this young lady."

According to the website, Irvin claimed that the woman followed him to his hotel room and was inside for only about 15 minutes.

"First, he was never alone with this young lady," Friedman said. "She was in a group of people that was around Michael at a club in Fort Lauderdale, and then later, with other people that followed Michael back to his room. But he was never alone with this woman, and he never, ever sexually assaulted her."

TMZ reported that the woman, who is a cosmetologist, texted Irvin a day after the incident, saying: "Come for a facial when you get back to Fort Lauderdale."

Friedman said his client plans on fighting the accusations.

"We're not running from these allegations. We're charging toward them," Friedman said.

Friedman said he and his client flew to Fort Lauderdale to speak with detectives. This is the third time Irvin has been accused of sexual assault, although he's never been charged.Ā 

TMZ Sports reported that Irvin was initially in Fort Lauderdale to attend his 90-year-old aunt's birthday party and his nieces and nephews' track meet.

Irvin was a member of Miami's 1987 national championship team and went on to win three Super Bowls while playing for the Dallas Cowboys. Irvin was a five-time Pro Bowl player who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007.


About the Authors:

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.

Sanela Sabovic joined Local 10 News in September 2012 as an assignment editor and associate producer.Ā In August 2015, she became a full-time reporter and fill-in traffic reporter. Sanela holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications with a concentration in radio, television and film from DePaul University.