Michael Irvin’s wife Sandy stuck by the NFL legend amid a storm of drugs, sex and violence – now he’s trying to make amends after her heartbreaking Alzheimer’s diagnosis at 58

With the recent revelation that Michael Irvin’s wife Sandy has early onset Alzheimer’s disease, interest in learning more about her and her condition has increased.

Irvin keeps his personal life quite private – and even managed to keep his wife’s diagnosis hidden for at least five years.

What we do know about the couple is that they met at the University of Miami in the 1980s and married in 1990 during his third NFL season. They have three children together: Michael Jr., Elijah and Chelsea.

When Irvin announced the opening of his Playmaker88 restaurant last week, he revealed his wife’s health problem. The Hall-of-Famer said he even hired a chef at his restaurant who made Sandy’s favorite chicken wings.

Irvin said he has no plans to place his wife in a nursing home, telling the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, “If anyone has earned the right to stay in her home, MY WIFE has!!!. I will honor that. No matter what.’

All of these steps are honorable and deserved after Irvin’s highly controversial public life, which saw multiple accusations — but no convictions — of sexual assault and misconduct.

He has also had problems due to drug use and even had an incident where he stabbed a teammate in the neck with a pair of scissors, but no charges were filed.

These are just some of the examples of trouble the ‘Playmaker’ has found himself in – with his faithful wife standing by his side as a pillar of consistency in Irvin’s life.

1996 Accusation of false sexual assault

The first time Michael Irvin was accused of sexual assault, it was proven that the accuser was lying.

In 1996, just before the Cowboys were set to play the Panthers in an NFC Divisional playoff game, reports began circulating in the media that Irvin and teammate Erik Williams had sexually assaulted a Dallas cheerleader, Nina Shahravan.

The two men were accused of pointing a gun at Shahravan’s head and videotaping the interaction while under the influence of cocaine.

Both Irvin and Williams denied the allegations, with it later proven that Shahravan had completely fabricated the entire incident.

She retracted her story, pleaded guilty to filing a false police report and perjury, and was sentenced to 90 days in jail and a fine.

1996 cocaine incident

The year 1996 was a difficult one for Irvin, as his alleged penchant for using cocaine caught up with him – and not for the last time.

In March of that year, Dallas police found Irvin in a hotel room with a friend of his, two topless dancers, and 10.3 grams of cocaine, among other drugs and paraphernalia.

After being charged with possession of marijuana, Irvin was also charged with possessing at least four grams of cocaine.

In July, he pleaded no contest to a second-degree cocaine possession charge in exchange for four years of deferred probation, a $10,000 fine and the dismissal of the marijuana charge he was facing.

‘Pair of scissors’

In the summer of 1998, Cowboys offensive lineman Everett McIver sat in a barber’s chair getting a haircut.

When Irvin came in, he told McIver to get up from the chair so he wouldn’t have to wait his turn.

That led to a brawl in the store that led to their Cowboys teammate, Leon Lett, trying to break it up.

It was during that brawl that Irvin took a pair of scissors and stabbed McIver in the neck. The wide receiver narrowly missed the lineman’s carotid artery.

Following the intervention of team owner Jerry Jones, a six-figure settlement was reached in exchange for McIver not pursuing criminal charges – which was crucial as Irvin was still on probation for the aforementioned cocaine incident.

Cocaine arrest, 2001

Just a few months after his probation ended, in June 2001, Irvin was arrested again for cocaine possession.

After police forcibly entered a North Dallas apartment, they found Irvin with an unrelated woman and again found marijuana, cocaine and other drugs.

Irvin turned himself in to police and was charged again on these charges, but they were later dropped.

Felony arrest, 2005

In November 2005, long since retired, Irvin was stopped in Plano, Texas for speeding.

He was arrested on an outstanding warrant for an unpaid speeding ticket in Irving, Texas and was also cited for misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

That came after police searched his car and found a pipe and plastic bags containing marijuana residue.

Despite the arrest, Irvin appeared on that week’s episode of ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown, but was suspended from the following week’s shows.

Sexual abuse accusation, 2007

In July 2007, Irvin was accused of sexual assault at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

The woman who accused Irvin reported the incident to Seminole tribal police, but later signed a waiver of prosecution — meaning she would not pursue criminal charges.

Although no charges were filed, a civil suit was filed against him in 2010.

According to the lawsuit, Irvin got the woman drunk and took her to his hotel room where he and another man insisted on sexual favors. The woman alleged that Irvin raped her and that the other person forced her to perform oral sex on him.

Irvin denied the incident and sued for $100 million. A settlement was reached in 2011 and both lawsuits were ultimately dropped.

Sexual abuse accusation, 2017

Irvin was accused of sexual assault again in Florida – almost a decade after the previous accusation.

A 27-year-old woman accused the Hall-of-Famer of drugging and raping her. Irvin again denied any wrongdoing.

An investigation by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office revealed that the alleged victim’s rape kit test taken at a local hospital was negative. Additionally, a toxicology report revealed that the woman had amphetamines and cocaine, as well as other drugs and alcohol, in her system.

Ultimately, county officials announced they would not charge Irvin in the case because “it is clear there is not enough evidence to determine that a crime was committed.”

Sexual misconduct allegation, 2023

The latest incident involving Irvin occurred in the lead-up to Super Bowl LVII in February 2023 in Arizona.

Irvin was accused of making unwanted sexual advances toward an employee of the Renaissance Phoenix Hotel and Spa, leading to a complaint against the former wide receiver.

As a result, NFL Network removed Irvin from its coverage of the big game and only reinstated him at the start of the new season.

Irvin sued Marriott International (owner of the hotel) and six other parties – including Jane Doe – for defamation and tortious interference. He denied there was anything wrong with the situation.

The case was ultimately settled in September 2023, which led to Irvin appearing on the NFL Network airwaves again.