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Irvin arrested in drug raid
PLANO, Texas (AP) -- Former Dallas Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin was arrested Wednesday afternoon in a North Dallas apartment on a misdemeanor drug charge. Irvin was taken into custody about 4 p.m. CDT on a charge of possession of less than two ounces of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor, said Plano Police Department Sgt. Mark Hunt. He was taken to Plano City Jail two hours later and released at 9:20 p.m. Members of the Denton-Collin Counties' Drug Task Force, part of a larger North Texas drug task force, went to the apartment to arrest a woman for heroin trafficking as part of a regional sweep called Operation Mockingbird, said Lori Bailey, an FBI spokeswoman. The woman named in the warrant had not been located and Irvin was not a target of the probe. "This is total happenstance. We had no prior knowledge he was going to be in there," Bailey said. The woman named in the warrant was not home, but another woman at the apartment described as a friend of Irvin, 21-year-old Nelly Adham, was taken into custody, Hunt said.
"They tore the house up and they found I guess what you would call a roach, a half a joint, and that's why I got arrested," he said. Irvin said police found "nothing on me ... They impounded my car, they searched my car, and they found nothing in my car. That's all I gotta say." Irvin then departed in a sport-utility vehicle. Maximum punishment on a Class B misdemeanor is a $2,000 fine and 180 days in jail. An initial court date had not been set. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he would reserve comment until he knew more details, noting that in late 1996 Irvin was falsely accused of sexual assault. That claim came five months after Irvin pleaded no contest to felony drug charges. "I would remind us all that Michael has been a victim of false allegations before," Jones said from training camp in Wichita Falls. "I know this: I'm going to be very sensitive, very careful how I come to any conclusions." Irvin retired from the Cowboys in July because of a neck injury suffered last season. He was hired to work on the Sunday pregame show on Fox Sports Net. 'We don't yet have all the facts and until we do we have no comment,' said Fox Sports Net spokesman Lou D'Ermilio in New York. Four days before he announced his retirement, Irvin completed his four-year probation from the 1996 drug charges. The terms included 800 hours of community service. The NFL also suspended him for five games. Irvin remained a productive receiver, although he never made another Pro Bowl after that. His career ended Oct. 10 when he herniated a disc in his neck following a catch in Philadelphia. He retired with 750 receptions for 11,904 yards. At the time of his final play, both figures were ninth in NFL history. Of the players ahead of him, only Jerry Rice has as many Super Bowl rings, three.
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