"Oh, Mickey, what a pity"

You've probably heard about Michael Irvin's latest legal problems, if only from Chris Berman's statement at the halftime break during the Jets-Saints game. (Poor Nugent. The Adam Vinatieri of the Buckeyes has come up short on a couple of crucial field goals this year.) I felt sorry for Berman; he was clearly upset. Not surprising, given that he and Irvin have worked closely together on ESPN.

The televised statement from ESPN was a brief recitation of the facts and a note that they were reviewing the situation. Here's an article with a timeline of Irvin's earlier drug problems. This page has a more detailed list. (Sorry about the background; I suggest highlighting the text to make it more readable.)

The Dallas Observer has a recent article about Irvin's off-field struggles. I have to wonder how this will affect his Hall of Fame candidacy this year. I believe he'll get in; whether it will happen this year is an open question.

In a way, this reminds me of Dwight Gooden's case. The difference is that Irvin at least theoretically has a lot more going for him, and to stay straight for, than Gooden did. (Wife, children, faith, relatively stable work, etc.) Interestingly, Irvin states that the situation was "not as it seemed" and that he had the pipe ... well, here's the quote:

Irvin told The Associated Press late Sunday the pipe belonged to a friend of 17 years who left a Houston rehab center and came to Irvin's house in Carrollton for Thanksgiving. ... "I know the type of demons they have to fight and I am going to help them, because it's the only way I can keep them from getting to my family. I have to clean up my friends because they are around my boys. It's upsetting."

In 1988, Irvin was drafted by the Cowboys, so a friend of 17 years would probably be someone he met shortly after becoming a Cowboy. Whoever this person is will probably become a witness for the defense, unless the charges against Irvin are dropped, as they were in the 2001 case. (I must say that this seems much less likely in this case, unless the search is found to be unconstitutional.)

As a football fan, I hope for Irvin's sake that the situation is as he described it. I'm not a particular fan of his, but it makes me sad to see former (and current) players in trouble off the field.