Michael Irvin not returning to ESPN
By Barry Horn
The Dallas Morning News
(MCT)
DALLAS - Two weeks after his election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Michael Irvin's television career is on hold. The former Cowboys wide receiver has had an amicable parting with ESPN, his employer since 2003.
ESPN has chosen not to pick up the option on his contract, Irvin said Saturday. But he hardly sounded despondent in a telephone interview from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He said he is looking forward to opportunities to expand a motion picture career that kicked off in 2005 with a role in The Longest Yard.
During contract talks, ESPN was not supportive of his burgeoning movie career, Irvin said. There was no hint of any of the improprieties that sometimes have marred his years in Dallas.
"I worked hard at ESPN, and I loved my job and the people there," said Irvin, who lives in Plano, Texas. "But I want to do different things and not be stuck in a box. They had other ideas."
Among the options he might consider is tutoring candidates for NFL studio shows. Irvin said he prepped former Cowboys teammate Emmitt Smith for a recent audition with ESPN.
Smith, basking in the glory of his Dancing with the Stars success on ABC, is a candidate to replace Irvin on ESPN, which like ABC is a member of the Disney family.
Recently retired Cowboys coach Bill Parcells agreed to a deal that will return him to ESPN, but not to replace Irvin. Parcells worked at ESPN before joining the Cowboys in 2003.
Given his history of legal issues as a player and broadcaster, Irvin was quick to respond when asked if similar issues were involved in his split with ESPN. It was those issues that may have forced Irvin, a key player in three Cowboys Super Bowl championships in the 1990s, to wait until his third season of eligibility before he was elected to the Hall of Fame. That was on the eve of Super Bowl XLI. The Indianapolis Colts-Chicago Bears game was his final assignment for ESPN.
"I didn't do anything wrong," Irvin said.
ESPN spokesman Bill Hoffheimer agreed that nothing in Irvin's network past influenced the decision not to pick up the contract option. He stressed that Irvin had not recently violated any network guidelines or violated any morals clauses.
"There was an evaluation of the studio talent lineup, and a decision was made to go in a different direction," Hoffheimer said. "There is nothing here but good feelings about Michael."
Irvin joined ESPN in 2003 as an analyst for its two most popular studio shows, Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday NFL Countdown. It wasn't long before he became the lightning rod for both shows. His loud wardrobe and definitive opinions made him stand out on sets with Chris Berman, Steve Young and Tom Jackson.
Irvin championed Terrell Owens' cause throughout the wide receiver's tumultuous final season with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2005. Irvin was suspended for two shows after a late November 2005 misdemeanor drug arrest in Plano.
In 2006, Irvin joked on Dan Patrick's ESPN radio show about Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo's racial heritage. It created a minor controversy, and Irvin later apologized.
Should he want to work in a studio next season, Irvin's options were limited last week. CBS completed its lineup by adding retired Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher. NBC hired retired New York Giants running back Tiki Barber to replace Sterling Sharpe.
Fox, which lost ground to CBS' pregame show last season, may be an option. The expanding NFL Network, where Smith spent a pedestrian 2005 season, could be another for Irvin.
By Barry Horn
The Dallas Morning News
(MCT)
DALLAS - Two weeks after his election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Michael Irvin's television career is on hold. The former Cowboys wide receiver has had an amicable parting with ESPN, his employer since 2003.
ESPN has chosen not to pick up the option on his contract, Irvin said Saturday. But he hardly sounded despondent in a telephone interview from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He said he is looking forward to opportunities to expand a motion picture career that kicked off in 2005 with a role in The Longest Yard.
During contract talks, ESPN was not supportive of his burgeoning movie career, Irvin said. There was no hint of any of the improprieties that sometimes have marred his years in Dallas.
"I worked hard at ESPN, and I loved my job and the people there," said Irvin, who lives in Plano, Texas. "But I want to do different things and not be stuck in a box. They had other ideas."
Among the options he might consider is tutoring candidates for NFL studio shows. Irvin said he prepped former Cowboys teammate Emmitt Smith for a recent audition with ESPN.
Smith, basking in the glory of his Dancing with the Stars success on ABC, is a candidate to replace Irvin on ESPN, which like ABC is a member of the Disney family.
Recently retired Cowboys coach Bill Parcells agreed to a deal that will return him to ESPN, but not to replace Irvin. Parcells worked at ESPN before joining the Cowboys in 2003.
Given his history of legal issues as a player and broadcaster, Irvin was quick to respond when asked if similar issues were involved in his split with ESPN. It was those issues that may have forced Irvin, a key player in three Cowboys Super Bowl championships in the 1990s, to wait until his third season of eligibility before he was elected to the Hall of Fame. That was on the eve of Super Bowl XLI. The Indianapolis Colts-Chicago Bears game was his final assignment for ESPN.
"I didn't do anything wrong," Irvin said.
ESPN spokesman Bill Hoffheimer agreed that nothing in Irvin's network past influenced the decision not to pick up the contract option. He stressed that Irvin had not recently violated any network guidelines or violated any morals clauses.
"There was an evaluation of the studio talent lineup, and a decision was made to go in a different direction," Hoffheimer said. "There is nothing here but good feelings about Michael."
Irvin joined ESPN in 2003 as an analyst for its two most popular studio shows, Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday NFL Countdown. It wasn't long before he became the lightning rod for both shows. His loud wardrobe and definitive opinions made him stand out on sets with Chris Berman, Steve Young and Tom Jackson.
Irvin championed Terrell Owens' cause throughout the wide receiver's tumultuous final season with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2005. Irvin was suspended for two shows after a late November 2005 misdemeanor drug arrest in Plano.
In 2006, Irvin joked on Dan Patrick's ESPN radio show about Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo's racial heritage. It created a minor controversy, and Irvin later apologized.
Should he want to work in a studio next season, Irvin's options were limited last week. CBS completed its lineup by adding retired Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher. NBC hired retired New York Giants running back Tiki Barber to replace Sterling Sharpe.
Fox, which lost ground to CBS' pregame show last season, may be an option. The expanding NFL Network, where Smith spent a pedestrian 2005 season, could be another for Irvin.
