Former Dallas Cowboy Michael Irvin Accused of Rape

According to the Miami Herald, a woman who claims she was raped 2 1/2 years ago by Dallas Cowboys Hall of Famer and NFL Network analyst Michael Irvin filed a civil lawsuit against him on Thursday.

The lawsuit claims that the woman (who is referred to as Jane Doe) says the attack occurred during the late horus of July 4 or early July 5 in 2007 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The alleged assault was reported to Seminole police on July 20, 2007, said Seminole Tribe Spokesman Gary Bitner.

Bitner added:

"They investigated it thoroughly. Although by that time there was no longer any forensic evidence or surveillance video."

David Lister, the woman's attorney, said that his client and Irvin's lawyers had been in negotiations for a financial settlement, but that those talks stalled, which prompted the lawsuit.

Larry Friedman, Irvin's lawyer, said the accusations were "totally untrue" and called the discussions attempts at extortion.

Friedman said that the woman came forward last year after Irvin had appeared on a couple episodes of "Dancing With the Stars."

Irvin was a wide receiver at the University of Miami before his Hall of Fame career with the Cowboys. He also grew up in Fort Lauderdale.

His past criminal history includes a 1996 pleading of no contest to a cocaine charge. Later in 1996 he was accused of sexually assaulting a woman but a investigation revealed that she made up the story and she soon took back her claims.