Dallas Cowboys legend Michael Irvin has been suspended from his role with the NFL Network since February when a female employee at a Phoenix hotel accused him of sexual harassment. But now, Stephen A. Smith thinks it’s time for him to return to the airwaves – with First Take, if ESPN will have him.
After nearly six months, no more substantial incriminating evidence has come out against Irvin outside of a 45-second clip that shows just a brief interaction of the alleged encounter. And during the most recent episode of his podcast, Smith made it clear that if no such evidence emerges, he wants Irvin on First Take.
“I’ve spoken up on behalf of Michael Irvin by way of simply stating that I want him back on First Take as well, barring any unforeseen evidence that was to come forward that would be incredibly incriminating,” Smith said during his podcast this week. “I’ve waited months, and I’m still waiting.”
Smith made it clear that he does not specifically know what happened during the encounter with the woman, but he doesn’t see anything incriminating enough in the 45-second clip that he believes should keep him off the air.
“That is not a reason for this three-time Super Bowl champion and this Hall of Famer to be unemployed and off the airwaves entertaining us the way that this man entertains us,” Smith said.
Smith said that the expectation around the sports media circles was that incriminating evidence would come out against Irvin related to the incident. But after more than five months, no more evidence has been made public regarding the situation.
“We still haven’t seen any evidence incriminating Michael Irvin,” Smith said. “If we don’t see that, this man should be on the airwaves.”
Smith is obviously the biggest on-air star at ESPN currently, making $12 million a year, and he’s sending the network a pretty clear message that he wants Irvin if the NFL Network won’t bring him back. We’ll have to see what ESPN’s next move is.
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