Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin’s extended suspension from NFL Network ended abruptly on Sunday, amid news that he had settled his lawsuit against Marriott.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had welcomed Irvin back to the broadcasting operation owned and operated by the league.
“He’s such a integral part of, I think, of what we do in the NFL,” Jones said during a Tuesday appearance on 105.3 the Fan in Dallas, via the Dallas Morning News.
“His personality is amazing and he’s somebody that has a lot to offer to the game and has a lot to offer on Sundays, if you want to look at the broad picture, Sunday presentation. It’s no secret he’s probably my favorite of ex-players and I was glad to see that kind of result. I think it says everything about where he was on the matter.”
Irvin was removed from NFL Network after a Marriott employee complained about his behavior during Super Bowl week.
Jones could have ended the exile sooner, if he wanted. He has the power to influence such matters, clearly. But the timing of the events suggests that Irvin’s prolonged absence was never about any alleged misconduct. It was about the lawsuit, and the possibility that the NFL would be drawn into it.
Even if Irvin didn’t sue the league and/or if Marriott didn’t add the league as a third-party defendant, it was clear that the NFL would be expected to produce documents and provide witnesses to discuss its handling of the situation. Marriott’s front-line defense was that, in communicating a hotel worker’s complaints to the league, Marriott was doing only what the league had expressly directed it to do.
Inevitably, the league would have been involved, if the case had proceeded. And the various emails, text messages, and other communications could have put the operation in a negative light.
So the case settled, Irvin returned to NFL Network, and there are no coincidences.
