ReutersHall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin has carved out a unique niche for himself.
After plenty of screw ups in his younger days, Irvin now spends time helping younger athletes avoid the same problems he encountered.
After making a strong impact on the NFL’s new draft picks at the Rookie Symposium, Irvin spoke at at UFC Summit in Las Vegas.
“He explained to these guys about the responsibility standpoint of being a professional athlete,” UFC executive and chief legal counsel Lawrence Epstein told Alex Marvez of FOXSports.com. “He said, ‘Listen, I want you guys to learn from the mistakes I made. You cannot make the mistakes I made and be a success.’ . . . This was a big thing. I sat through both days he talked and people were riveted by him.”
At the Rookie Symposium, Irvin said he would trade his three Super Bowl rings to have a clean name, a conclusion he reached after one of his sons looked into Irvin’s past on Google.
“My heart hit the bottom of my feet,” Irvin told Marvez. “I don’t want any other man to have to stand in front of his son and have that conversation. But I told these guys that one day if they don’t make the right decision that’s what’s going to happen.”
Irvin’s motives are admirable. “I’ve lived with a great deal of regret in my life,” Irvin said. “I don’t want others to deal with that. . . . Hopefully, I’m helping people. But this is also helping me more than anything.”
It will only help the younger athletes if they listen and learn. Irvin recently said that “[w]hen I came into the league I didn’t have anybody to tell me some things.” The truth could be that he tuned out anyone who was in position to talk some sense into him, like so many young athletes do.
If they’ll listen to Irvin and learn from his mistakes without having to make mistakes of their own, then Irvin truly has a gift. And he should use it as much as he can to help young players avoid having to endure a painful conversation with their children.
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Cocaine is a helluva drug.
Good for Irvin……the best part of the story was: “I don’t want any other man to stand infront of his son and have that conversation”
But Irvin did……how many dad’s, espically atheletes, hardly even know their sons, never mind have a conversation about their past with them.
I flat out love Mike Irvin. Not a Cowboys/The U fan – but I have always dug Michael Irvin. Everybody has different tastes – but that guy is funny as hell, charming and just damned cool. VERY inspirational.
Anybody who’s ever played football would LOVE to have this man on their team. The guy balled – and he rocked it.
That’s all I got. I just love Mike Irvin – so glad Irvin reeled it back in and is kicking tail!!!
I feel bad for Travis Henry. That’s 18 conversations.
I hope that’s real, cause he was a jerk.
Nothing against #88 personally, but with Andre Reed, Chris Carter, Sterling Sharpe, Otis Taylor, and Henry Ellard on the outside looking in – I still can’t believe Irvin is a Hall of Famer.
Upon reflection, I guess I can. He was part of the 3-time Super Bowl champion triplets, and he’s a Cowboy. He’s inducted by default.
“Don’t lose the intensity…”
Sorry but after Vick, Big Ben, Tiger Woods, McNair, and now JoePa I can never trust an athlete to be my hero. I always look for the negative now.
Not an Irvin or Cowgirls fan at all, but kudos to him for finally growing up and realizing what the right priorities are in life. If there’s anyone who can steer the young rich young men to grow the eff up and make good decisions, they are Pacman and Michael Irvin. Hopefully the rooks actually listen to these guys. Of course at that age you think you’re invincible.
Michael Irvin was a poster boy for everything you could do wrong, mess up and still stumble around, avoid the law and succeed. A damn good American in my opinion. I’m being sarcastic..
He’s turned it around and has found the right thing to do. Stay passionate. Right or wrong he’s never afraid to say what he thinks and with everything he does and says he has a fire. Most people would be lucky to have half the intensity he does. I love listening to his fire more than anyone else when I see him on TV.
I’d love to see him actually be a coach some day because I think he would a very good one.
If even one guy listens to him and saves himself the trouble of facing his kids with his past then it will be all worth the efforts Michael Irvin is making now. Hoping and praying what he’s saying will help lots more than just one.
Maybe J. Russell should have listened to him. He would probably still have sucked tho….
Keep that nose away from my cocaine….
Steve Martin, from the film “Roxanne”
Hey Mike, looks like you checked for the powdered donut…
@sameatsworms
That was fantastic.
Count me as another who has been won over by the post playing career Irvin.
He has also become a vocal champion of equality issues, and went public with the story of his gay brother. Their story is what made me really love and respect Michael Irvin.
I wasn’t a big fan of Irvin in the past, but I can appreciate the direction he’s taking now. He’s in a position of rare influence over these young men, because he has been where they are, and has gotten to where they want to go. The fact that they all know how troubled he was in his own youth lends his comments a degree of legitimacy that can never be attained by a person who hasn’t walked in those shoes. The fact that he’s a three-time champion and HOFer– not to mention a Cowboy AND a Hurricane– earns him respect and admiration.
So good for Mike if he’s using his influence to make a positive difference. After hearing his impassioned commentary in the wake of the Junior Seau tragedy, I don’t doubt that Irvin is sincere. I heard part of his rookie symposium speech, and I thought it was pretty compelling. I’ll wish him as much success in these endeavors as he had on the field.
All I hear from Irving is yelling and something like this
” yabba yabba..blah blah…YAABBBBBAAA YABBBAAAAA…BLAH BLAH….AHHAAAA HAAAA HAAAA”
The truth could be that he tuned out anyone who was in position to talk some sense into him, like so many young athletes do.
I was waiting for Florios signature negative spin.
As a guy without as much exposure but just as much regrettable baggage in my past, all I can say is “I get it now too Mike, and thanks for what you’re doing”. FWIW, I am a Cowboy HATER, and absolutely dispised Irvin when he was playing.
@thetruth1313 cant get passed the fact that the Playmaker was a Cowboy. The man has, by all accounts, cleaned up his life and is now trying to help other young men in similar positions avoid the pitfalls in which he found himself. Take off your blinders and applaud someone when they do admirable things.
I applaud Irvin for his outreach and I pray that it reaches some and prevents some bad decisions from being made.
Michael Irvin is turning out to be a good man, and a good father.
I think all of his post-football achievements are admirable, however, I’m still bugged that he got into the Hall of Fame. His career was simply not worthy of induction. It was a good career, but far from great.
vadog says: Jul 13, 2012 11:41 AM
I think all of his post-football achievements are admirable, however, I’m still bugged that he got into the Hall of Fame. His career was simply not worthy of induction.
If 3 Super Bowl rings, 750 catches, and almost 12,000 receiving yards doesn’t deserve HOF induction, then nothing does. Go pick on Lynn Swann, a HOF’er who didn’t have half of Irvin’s numbers (336 catches, 5462 yards).