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Friday, July 18, 1997

Irvin meets with Jones, mum on training camp plans

IRVING, Texas (AP) - With Dallas Cowboys training camp opening today in Austin, receiver Michael Irvin still isn't saying if he'll show up or not.

Irvin met with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on Thursday, but left the team's Valley Ranch headquarters without comment.

The star receiver, who has been contemplating retirement and has two years remaining on a five-year contract, was quoted in Thursday's Fort Worth Star-Telegram as saying he would return.

But Irvin called a Dallas radio station twice Thursday to angrily dispute the report and say he's not ready to talk publicly about his plans.

Neither Jones nor Irvin discussed what they talked about in their meeting.

"They had a good meeting and a lot of open dialogue took place," team spokesman Rich Dalrymple said. Dalrymple said the team would have nothing more to say until today in Austin.

Irvin missed part of camp last year after pleading no contest to felony drug possession charges.

Irvin announced June 4 that he was considering retiring because he had lost his love for football. He said he wasn't sure when he would make his decision, but that he had to get his personal life in order first.

Peter Ginsberg and Royce West, Irvin's lawyers, had asked a judge to postpone a hearing today in a libel lawsuit brought by teammate Eric Williams so that Irvin could report to camp with other veterans.

But a clerk said the hearing was still scheduled for this morning. Ginsberg, reached by telephone Thursday, said he hadn't decided if he would ask Irvin to appear.

Ginsberg said he knew Irvin's plans on if and when he will attend training camp, but the attorney said he was not at liberty to discuss them.

The attorney had said two week ago that Irvin had made his decision.

"All I can say is that he'll make it known in the next week to week and a half," Ginsberg said. "I can't tell you which way he's going with it."