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Off and running Retirement means one thing for Irvin: Work
Posted: Wednesday July 12, 2000 07:52 PM
IRVING, Texas (AP) -- Ten minutes after he retired from football, Michael Irvin was already making headway in his new job as an NFL broadcaster. Making his way through the crowd at his farewell news conference, Irvin shared a few moments with good pal and former Dallas Cowboys teammate Deion Sanders. They whispered some pleasantries, then Irvin got down to business. "I'm going to call you," Irvin said. "I'll give you your first exclusive," Sanders said. Irvin switched teams Tuesday, going from the Cowboys to FOX Sports Net. It was difficult for the former All-Pro receiver to leave the game he loved, yet he realized it was the right thing to do after learning of a frightening spine condition. "My doctor basically said I could play if I really wanted to," Irvin said. "It became an emotional thing, a family thing." He struggled with the decision for months. Then he was playing with his kids one day and saw his wife crying. The tears came from thinking that Irvin might return to football and suffer an injury that would leave him paralyzed. All football players face that risk every play, but Irvin learned Oct. 10 that he was particularly in jeopardy. A herniated disc that left him temporarily paralyzed in a game against Philadelphia uncovered that he had a narrow spine. "I tried to rationalize it: 'Any hit can be your last hit. You've been doing that all you're life.' But I've accomplished a great deal of things that I wanted to accomplish, and at this juncture there's no need to risk it and go on," he said. So, as his mother told him, Irvin is closing one door and opening another. Rather than playing football, he'll be talking about it, working primarily on the Sunday pregame show NFL This Morning. "I'm looking forward to watching him," Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman said. "Michael always has taken a shine to cameras." Irvin's high-profile hiring is an indication the public has forgiven him for his bad-boy days. After reaching his on-field peak by capturing three Super Bowls in four years, Irvin's image went in the gutter beginning with an arrest at a motel room following a celebration of his 30th birthday in March 1996. He went on trial that summer and settled by pleading no contest to felony drug charges. He recently completed a four-year probation. Late that year, he was falsely accused of sexual assault. In 1998, he cut a teammate's neck with a pair of scissors while horsing around in a dormitory during training camp. "I know fans were upset," Irvin said. "But they got back to loving me. I've been running into a great deal of fans and none have been conflicted with it. I haven't had any negative vibe." Irvin was the kind of player only his team's fans could love. He celebrated first downs as if they were touchdowns and touchdowns as if they were Super Bowls. He dared other teams to put their best cornerbacks on him and still succeeded. "People might think he's all show, but it's not. That's him," longtime teammate Daryl Johnston said. "It can be irritating if you're not on his team or rooting for his team, but that's a big part of his success." The 34-year-old Irvin caught 750 passes for 11,904 yards. Of the guys ahead of him, only Jerry Rice has as many Super Bowl rings. "We've both got three. I'll take that," Irvin said, roaring at his own joke.
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