Michael Irvin takes you inside cocaine arrest that changed life forever in ‘America’s Team’

Former Dallas Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin recalled the heart-wrenching conversation he had with his wife, Sandy Harrell, when he was indicted on felony cocaine possession in March 1996.

In the seventh episode of “America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys” — the Netflix documentary premiering Tuesday that delves into the history of Jerry Jones’ ownership in the 1990s — Irvin explains how he handled facing up to 20 years in prison if convicted. 

“My wife, she looked at me and she said, ‘Don’t say a word, God has already told me I am your wife and I am not going anywhere. But you have to make your peace with God,’” Irvin says in the documentary. “I don’t think I ever felt worse in my life.”

Irvin and Harrell married in June 1990, the same year he welcomed his daughter Myesha from a previous relationship. They have three kids: a daughter Chelsea and sons Michael Jr. and Elijah.

“I had a routine, after you win the Super Bowl [which the Cowboys did in ’96], before the next season starts, you get about a month — and that month, you cut loose and have a good time,” Irvin says in the documentary, adding that the festivities were slated to culminated with his March 5 birthday.

Irvin pleaded no contest to felony cocaine possession in exchange for four years of deferred probation, a $10,000 fine and dismissal of misdemeanor marijuana possession charges after police found the All-Pro wideout with a few others in a Texas hotel room littered with cocaine and marijuana.

Irvin ultimately took a deal and got probation with restrictions and conditions. He was also suspended the first five games of the 1996 season.

The doc also mentions there was a murder-for-hire plot against Irvin by a Dallas cop at the time, who was arrested and pleaded guilty and sentenced to six years in prison.

Hidden camera video tape shows Irvin discussing doing cocaine while in the passenger’s seat of car.

On the night of March 4, 1996, police found Irvin, his former Cowboys teammate Alfredo Roberts and two females in a Texas hotel room, where police found drug paraphernalia, sex toys and substantial amounts of marijuana and cocaine.

Police said one bag contained the largest chunk of crack cocaine they had ever seen.

Irvin says Mike Gilette, the assistant DA of Dallas County at the time, was trying to prove he brought the drugs to the Residence Inn he was busted at, which Irvin denied.

Jones, whose close relationship with Irvin was emphasized in the doc, set up a meeting with Irvin, his attorney and Gilette, who ripped him apart. 

“He said, ‘Let me tell ya what the truth is, the truth is what I make it in the courtroom, and personally I think you’re a piece of s–t and you use your fame and your money to take advantage of these poor white girls and I’m going to filet you like a fish and leave you in an alley,’” Irvin says of his conversation with Gilette.

“I said Gilette when you get finished with this, somebody’s gonna pay me millions of dollars to catch a football and your lil sharp ass is gonna be broke and stuck down here no matter what.’ And then I said, ‘I’ll show you tomorrow what it is when you get here.’

“And that’s why I put on a mink coat and the shades [to his first court appearance]. You want to show me up, let me show you. It was 95 degrees but the coat was needed.” 

Irvin showed up to his court date at the time in a floor-length fur coat and sunglasses. His wife was with him.

“Michael is very well my favorite player of my time,” Jones says. “What makes him be as substantive as he is, is the fact that he plays and lives at the level he lives … Because of some of his decisions, he had become vulnerable.

“He has my back and I have his back — certainly that was the case in a dicey situation like this where you know the eye was on him.”

Irvin won three Super Bowls in four years with the Cowboys as part of a dynastic offense that included quarterback Troy Aikman and running back Emmitt Smith, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher.

“I knew that we had a lot of players that weren’t choir boys but I didn’t know some of the activity that ended up getting him in trouble,” says Aikman, who supported Irvin at his first court date.

“I was concerned for my buddy, my friend, my brother,” Smith adds. “What does this mean for him and his career?”

“Daddy what were the ’90s like?”
“Michael Irvin showed up in court on cocaine possession charges in a full length mink coat and sunglasses.” pic.twitter.com/zHlEPuT0Vb

— Mark Nagi (@MarkNagi) July 17, 2017

In June 2001, a year following his NFL retirement due to injury, Irvin was arrested for felony cocaine possession in Dallas. The charges were later dropped.