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Friday, January 3, 1997

To suspend Michael Irvin and Erik Williams on accusations would set a dangerous precedent

By Gary Peterson / Knight-Ridder Newspapers (Jan. 3, 1997)

(KRT)

Don't get me wrong. I'd like to see the smirk forcibly removed from Michael Irvin's face as much as the next guy.

I'd like to see his arrogance take a pulverizing blindside hit. I'd like to see him suspended. I'd like to see his reaction when he understands that his contemptible behavior has cost him everything he ever cared about.

But I'd like to know that he deserved it first.

I don't know that now.

Sure, something's going on in Dallas. But what? A former topless dancer is claiming sexual assault. There are allegations of firearms and videotaped sex. The woman's character is being vouched for by two of her friends but disparaged by her estranged husband. The TV station that broke the story is admitting that it has used the woman as a source in stories regarding the Cowboys.

Irvin, the alleged gunman/filmmaker, is denying everything. Cowboys offensive tackle Erik Williams, the alleged rapist, isn't talking. A third assailant remains unidentified. Barry Switzer, that noted student of criminology, is taking potshots at the Dallas police.

Meanwhile, all across America people are lining up to take their best shots at Irvin.

"If the Dallas Cowboys were really America's Team as they like to proclaim, their owner, Jerry Jones, would suspend Michael Irvin now," wrote Dave Anderson of the New York Times. "If only because, with so much smoke, the flames can't be far away."

That's not going to happen. Both Irvin and Williams are expected to play in Sunday's playoff game against Carolina.

"What act must a player commit before he becomes an undesirable to the Cowboys?" wrote Frank Luksa of the Dallas Morning News.

How about one that will hold up in a court of law?

You'll recall that we had a similar discussion back in July, when the NFL was poised to drop the hammer on Irvin for his no-contest plea to cocaine possession. The crux of that debate went something like this: How could the NFL suspend Irvin for five games for a no-contest plea while allowing Packers quarterback Brett Favre to escape suspension-free despite his confessed addiction to narcotic painkillers?

My feeling? It couldn't. Or shouldn't.

There was a certain amount of gray area in that discussion. In the absence of official charges and/or arrests, there is none here.

Suspend Irvin? For what, being obnoxious?

Right now, that's all we have to go on. Irvin says he was at a sports bar at the time of the alleged attack. "I'm . . . looking forward to seeing how you (reporters) go rewrite, reprint, rerun all these things about what happened Sunday night when you find out that I wasn't even at Erik's house," Irvin said.

That's an impressive bit of self-righteousness from someone who just a few months ago was apologizing to his wife and two children for being caught in a hotel room with two topless dancers. Yes, nothing like a wholesome Sunday night of swilling beer at the local tavern to repair those family ties.

Speaking of athletes with a history, Williams was accused of assault by a 17-year-old girl two years ago. That case was settled out of court.

As an organization, the Cowboys have earned a reputation as the team America loves to hate. From drug-related suspensions (seven of the NFL's past 13 drug-related suspensions have been meted out to Cowboys players), to in-your-face arrogance (Irvin, Deion Sanders), to self-serving aggrandizement (owner Jerry Jones and his renegade endorsement contracts), the Cowboys are on balance, and with apologies to Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith, a sickening crew.

But to suspend Irvin and Williams based on nothing more than an accusation is to set a dangerous precedent. Get a former topless dancer to point a finger, and you could put any star in any sport out of any key game. Heck, you could start your own business.

"Thank you for calling Allegations Incorporated. For accusations of sexual assault, press 1 now. For trumped-up drug charges, press 2 now. For violations of the vehicle code, press 3 now. To speak with one of our formerly topless account executives, press 4 now."

If Irvin and Williams are guilty of this obscene crime, they will be charged, arrested and tried. There will be ample time to suspend them and plenty of games for them to miss. Justice will have its day in court.

If Jones really is presiding over Sin City in North Dallas, that will catch up to him as well.

In the meantime, we should put a muzzle on this tough talk about suspension and retribution. We'd all like to see Irvin go down hard. But it ought to be as a result of a legal hit.

(c) 1996, Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, Calif.). Distributed by Knight-Ridder/Tribune Information Services.