ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, January 1, 1997 TAG: 9701020054
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: HOLIDAY
SOURCE: Washington Post
MICHAEL IRVIN COULD FACE up to 20 years in prison if the charges prove to be true.
The Dallas Cowboys, stained by a long list of sex, drug and alcohol problems in recent years, were hit hard again Tuesday when a 23-year-old woman accused wide receiver Michael Irvin of holding a gun to her head while Pro Bowl tackle Erik Williams and another man forced her to have sex.
If the accusation is true, Irvin could face up to 20 years in prison because he's already on probation as part of a felony cocaine plea bargain last summer.
``I don't know anything about it,'' Irvin told reporters Tuesday outside the team's practice facility in Irving, Texas. ``I have not done anything in any way, shape or form to violate my probation. I'm tired of it. I've done enough bad things to my family and my teammates. But in this case I have done nothing.''
Dallas Police Lt. David Goelden said a videotape and other evidence seized from Williams's home early Tuesday were being reviewed and that charges could be filed against all three men as early as Thursday.
Goelden said some sexual activities were captured on the videotape. He said Irvin and Williams likely will be questioned this week.
``We'll give them the opportunity to present whatever they want to present to us,'' he said.
This latest controversy swirled around the Cowboys as they prepare for an NFC semifinal game against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. The Cowboys are three victories from becoming the first team to win four Super Bowls in five seasons.
They're also accustomed to trouble. The most recent incident occurred a month ago when tackle Leon Lett, one of the NFL's top defensive players, was suspended for a year after testing positive for cocaine.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has steadfastly denied that his team has a widespread problem, but of the NFL's past 13 substance-abuse suspensions, seven have involved Cowboys.
The accusation involving Williams and Irvin alleges the incident occurred Sunday, a day after the Cowboys defeated the Minnesota Vikings in a first-round playoff game.
Goelden said the woman, who is an acquaintance of Williams, told police Monday night she had been forced to have sex at gunpoint with two men at Williams' home.
According to the police report, the man holding the gun was Irvin. The woman was taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital, where she was treated for bruises and cuts.
Dave Overton, news director of KXAS-TV in Dallas, which broke the story, told the Associated Press the woman had been a source for the station ``on a couple of occasions in the past several months.''
However, he said: ``We have never paid her.''
Unless the NFL takes immediate disciplinary action, which is unlikely, both Irvin and Williams could play against the Panthers on Sunday. However, if charges are filed against Irvin, his probation may be revoked immediately.
Earlier this season, Irvin served a five-game, NFL-imposed suspension, the result of a police investigation last spring in which Irvin was discovered in an Irving, Texas, motel room with former teammate Alfredo Roberts, two topless dancers and an array of drugs.
Irvin avoided jail by pleading no contest to the charges. He was sentenced to four years' deferred adjudication, a $10,000 fine and 800 hours of community service.
When he was sentenced on July 16, state district judge Manny Alvarez told him: ``If you come back before me ... I will find you guilty of this offense and you're looking at 20 years in the penitentiary.''
Alvarez declined to comment on Tuesday's developments, but Norm Kinne, Dallas County's first assistant district attorney, said, ``If charges were filed, we would file a motion to revoke his probation.''
Williams has had his own problems in recent seasons. He was accused of sexual assault by a 17-year-old girl in 1995, but a grand jury declined to indict him, citing insufficient evidence. In 1994, Williams was almost killed in an auto accident in which police said alcohol was a factor.
LENGTH: Medium: 80 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshots) Irvin, Williams. coloro.by CNB