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Thursday, June 5, 1997

Cowboys' star Michael Irvin says if he can't regain love of football, he'll retire

By Jean-Jacques Taylor

The Dallas Morning News

(KRT)

DALLAS - Cowboys' receiver Michael Irvin, the team's emotional leader for much of his nine-year career, said Wednesday he is pondering retirement.

Irvin said he no longer loves the game that has made him millions. Until he does, Irvin said, he won't play.

That was one issue Irvin discussed during a 45-minute news conference about his football future and intention to join teammate Erik Williams in a lawsuit against the Dallas Police Department and a local television station concerning an alleged rape - a charge since dropped - in January.

"(Cowboys' owner) Jerry (Jones) understands that I just need time to decide what it is that I want to do and to find that love for the game," Irvin said. "I've always said that if I can't love the game and play with the intensity and emotion that I'm used to playing with, then it's time to get out of the game.

"And if I can't find that love, then I will get out of the game."

Irvin said he did not attend the Cowboys' mini-camp last month and is skipping this week's mini-camp at their Valley Ranch training complex because he is not mentally prepared to play football.

"I don't feel I'm any good to myself right now, and if I'm not any good to myself, then I'm definitely not any good to my football team," Irvin said. "I'd be more of a hindrance than a help.

"I told Jerry that and he understands ... but maybe he didn't relay it to everybody, and they started to speculate."

Irvin said his absence has nothing to do with the Cowboys' failure to meet his trade request. Jones has said it would be nearly impossible to trade Irvin because he would count $2.7 million against their National Football League-mandated $41.45 million salary cap.

"I fully understand my options now: Find my love to play football here or not play football at all," Irvin said.

Jones said he expects Irvin to be in uniform when the Cowboys open the season Aug. 31 on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Jones, however, does not know when Irvin will return to the team.

"I expect him to play," he said. "All along, I've expected him to play."

Retiring could be a costly prospect for Irvin.

It would cost him at least $7 million in base salary over the next three years, and NFL spokesman Vince Casey said the Cowboys could force him to repay a pro-rated portion of the $4.5 million signing bonus he received two years ago when he signed a five-year, $14.5 million contract.

If Irvin decides to retire, he must inform NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue of his decision in writing. The receiver then would be placed on the NFL's reserve-retired list.

If Irvin changed his mind, the Cowboys would have to petition the NFL for him to re-join the club.

Irvin, who wore wire-rimmed glasses and a plaid shirt with matching shorts, appeared somber as he made his first public statements since the Cowboys' playoff loss to Carolina in January. Though he usually wears a lot of jewelry, Irvin wore only a diamond earring and a wedding ring.

It has been a turbulent 15 months for the five-time Pro Bowl performer.

In that time, Irvin has served a five-game NFL suspension for conduct detrimental to the league. The suspension followed a no-contest plea for cocaine possession.

He also became the target of a murder-for-hire plot involving a Dallas police officer, and was one of two players named by Nina Shahravan, who alleged she had been raped. Ms. Shahravan said Irvin threatened her with a gun while teammate Erik Williams and another man raped her. The woman later recanted her story and is facing a trial for misdemeanor perjury later this month.

Irvin's legal problems also could make a trade difficult.

He received four years' probation, 800 hours of community service and a $10,000 fine after pleading no contest to cocaine possession last July. Under terms of the probation, Irvin must notify his probation officer of any changes in his home or employment address, and must receive written permission from the court to travel outside Dallas County.

The NFL can randomly test Irvin for drugs up to 10 times per month. A positive drug test or failure to cooperate could result in a one-year suspension under the terms of the league's substance-abuse policy. That risk makes teams leery of acquiring Irvin, who caught 64 passes for 952 yards and one touchdown in 1996.

Irvin's indecision puts the Cowboys in a precarious position.

If he plays, the Cowboys will have one of the NFL's most potent tandems with Irvin and Anthony Miller, who signed Monday. If he retires, the Cowboys will need to sign at least two veteran receivers.

The closer it gets to training camp - which begins July 18 - the less quality talent remains on the free-agent market. That's why quarterback Troy Aikman and running back Emmitt Smith implored Irvin on Monday to make a decision concerning his future as soon as possible.

Irvin said he sympathizes with his teammates, but said he can't rush his decision.

"I don't think a lot of the guys on the football team know what I've been through, and what I go through," he said. "If they did know, I think they would understand and say, 'Okay, Michael.' "

Irvin said he must also consider his family's feelings before making a decision.

"It's not just up to me. It's up to my family and what they want me to do," he said. "(That includes) whether my family wants to be here and continue to go through some of the things we've been through, and whether they want to continue to go through some of those things."

(c) 1997, The Dallas Morning News.

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