Former Cowboy Michael Irvin Arrested

P L A N O, Texas, Aug. 10, 2000 -- Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver MichaelIrvin was arrested Wednesday on a misdemeanor drug charge.

Irvin was taken into custody on a charge of possession of lessthan 2 ounces of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor, said PlanoPolice Department Sgt. Mark Hunt.

He was taken to Plano City Jail at about 6 p.m. and was releasedat 9:20 p.m.

Part of a Regional Sweep

Officers from a multi-level drug task force went to theapartment to arrest a woman for heroin trafficking as part of aregional sweep, said Lori Bailey, an FBI spokeswoman.

The woman named in the warrant had not been located and Irvinwas not a target of the probe.

“This is total happenstance. We had no prior knowledge he wasgoing to be in there,” Bailey said.

The woman named in the warrant was not home, but another womanat the apartment, 21-year-old Nelly Adham—described as a friendof Irvin’s—was taken into custody, Hunt said.

“I really don’t know what went on. I was visiting somebody andthe police came looking for somebody else and I was in the house,”Irvin told reporters after his lawyer signed paperwork for hisrelease.

“They tore the house up and they found I guess what you wouldcall a roach, a half a joint, and that’s why I got arrested,” hesaid.

Car Searched

Irvin, 34, said police found “nothing on me ... They impoundedmy car, they searched my car, and they found nothing in my car.That’s all I gotta say.” Irvin then departed in a sport-utilityvehicle.

Maximum punishment on a Class B misdemeanor is a $2,000 fine and180 days in jail.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he would reserve comment until heknew more details, noting that in late 1996 Irvin was falselyaccused of sexual assault. That claim came five months after Irvinpleaded no contest to felony drug charges.

“I would remind us all that Michael has been a victim of falseallegations before,” Jones said from training camp in WichitaFalls. “I know this: I’m going to be very sensitive, very carefulhow I come to any conclusions.”

Irvin, who won three Super Bowls with the Cowboys, retired inJuly after seriously injuring his neck last Oct. 10 in a game atPhiladelphia. He was hired to work on the Sunday pregame show onFox Sports Net.

“We don’t yet have all the facts and until we do we have nocomment,” said Fox Sports Net spokesman Lou D’Ermilio in New York.

Troubled Past

Four days before he announced his retirement, Irvin completedhis probation on a 1996 felony drug charge, to which he had pleadedno contest. The terms included 800 hours of community service. TheNFL also suspended him for five games.

In 1998, he cut a teammate’s neck with a pair of scissors whilehorsing around in a dormitory during training camp.

Irvin caught 750 passes for 11,904 yards in his career. At thetime of his final play, both figures ranked ninth in NFL history.Of the players ahead of him, only Jerry Rice had as many Super Bowlrings.