Jimmy Johnson to talk about Irvin's scissor attack on Dan Patrick show

[TNCowboy]

I didn't know Irvin was drunk. How the heck does that happen during training camp? You would think they would be running a tighter ship, even back then. To me, that is an indictment of Gailey and the Cowboys organization. Do you think Parcells would allow players to get drunk after morning practices?

If I were in McIver's shoes, I wouldn't have accepted hush money, and would have pressed charges against Irvin and the Cowboys. This would mean that the other NFL teams would blackball him, but who cares if the price is right?

.

Gailey never had the authority to change much of anything, much less reign in Irvin.

 

[Don Corleone]

The part about Switzer sleeping with Lacewell's wife was news to me. What a fricked up organization we were.

There are rumors of Switzer sleeping around when he was coach at OU. This behavior is no surprise.

 

[WoodysGirl]

I missed the segment, but here's what PFT had...

JIMMY’S CLASSIC LINE ON EVERETT MCIVER
Posted by Mike Florio on September 25, 2008, 11:56 a.m.

Former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson talked moment ago on The Dan Patrick Show about the infamous incident between Michael Irvin and Everett McIver and a pair of scissors and a lot of blood-uh.

Said Johnson of McIver, “The way he played in a couple of games, I wanted to kill him a couple of times myself.”

Johnson also said that the incident wasn’t as bad as it is portrayed in Jeff Pearlman’s new book, Boys Will Be Boys. But given that Pearlman writes that it happened on July 29, 1998, the only way Jimmy would know that is if the events unfolded while Irvin and McIver were visiting the Miami Dolphins.

 

[Don Corleone]

Gailey never had the authority to change much of anything, much less reign in Irvin.

Indeed, and that was the problem. Irvin was tight with Jerry, so no coach could really reign him in. It just boggles my mind that crap like this occurred at training camp under the watch of an owner that cares about nothing more than winning (so the talking heads have said).

 

[jcblanco22]

An interesting personal anecdote that ties in to the discussion, specifically McIver. Back in the summer of 1998, just a few days after this went down at Cowboys camp, I happened to gain some access to the field at Dolphins camp at their facility here in Davie Florida. I was working with a children's welfare organization at the time that received the access for the sake of the children getting a chance to see the Dolphins practice up close and personal, etc.

Anyhow, Dolphins PR director Harvey Greene, who is still with them to this day, was hanging out for a bit watching the afternoon session with us and I asked him about the incident, seeing as McIver had just left the Dolphins for the Cowboys that offseason. Greene said something half-serious, half-jokingly about the whole thing, specifically (and I paraphrase but only slightly), "anyone who knows Everett doesn't find this too surprising".

He didn't elaborate any further.

 

[jcblanco22]

Indeed, and that was the problem. Irvin was tight with Jerry, so no coach could really reign him in. It just boggles my mind that crap like this occurred at training camp under the watch of an owner that cares about nothing more than winning (so the talking heads have said).

Equally boggling to me is how Troy Aikman was supposedly so close to Irvin at this time, and I'm referring to outside of football as well, as he has often stated. Showing up to court in support of your teammate and having a close bond through football and during the season is one thing, but they apparently were very close off the field also.

 

[AmishCowboy]

I did catch the part where Jimmy takes responsibility for the Leon Lett Block FG Incident against Miami, he said something along the line of Lett shoudn't have been out there because they never practiced it and that Leon never knew or was told the what the rules where. That's the first time I ever heard that.

 

[SkinsHokieFan]

I did catch the part where Jimmy takes responsibility for the Leon Lett Block FG Incident against Miami, he said something along the line of Lett shoudn't have been out there because they never practiced it and that Leon never knew or was told the what the rules where. That's the first time I ever heard that.

Jimmy talks about that in the book. Rather then ripping Leon, he actually hugged him in the locker room after that infamous play

 

[Don Corleone]

Equally boggling to me is how Troy Aikman was supposedly so close to Irvin at this time, and I'm referring to outside of football as well, as he has often stated. Showing up to court in support of your teammate and having a close bond through football and during the season is one thing, but they apparently were very close off the field also.

I wonder about that too. Aikman seemed to separate himself from a lot of the sideshows, so I'm not sure in what capacity he had a friendship with Irvin. Irvin seemed to hang around Erik Williams a lot more than Aikman.

 

[AmishCowboy]

Jimmy talks about that in the book. Rather then ripping Leon, he actually hugged him in the locker room after that infamous play

Are you reading that Book for some Ammo when you come here?

 

[Don Corleone]

I did catch the part where Jimmy takes responsibility for the Leon Lett Block FG Incident against Miami, he said something along the line of Lett shoudn't have been out there because they never practiced it and that Leon never knew or was told the what the rules where. That's the first time I ever heard that.

Every player should know the rules of football, regardless of the position they play. It isn't organic chemistry or physics for crying out loud.

 

[trickblue]

The part about Switzer sleeping with Lacewell's wife was news to me. What a fricked up organization we were.

That was back at Oklahoma... long before he was with the Cowboys...

 

[Don Corleone]

That was back at Oklahoma... long before he was with the Cowboys...

Ahhh...this must be the OU incident with Switzer that I heard about some years ago.

 

[CrazyCowboy]

man, will be interesting to hear what Irvin would say

 

[Idgit]

The part about Switzer sleeping with Lacewell's wife was news to me. What a fricked up organization we were.

Have you *seen* Larry Lacewell's wife?

 

[Don Corleone]

That does it...I must get the book NOW!!!!!!

 

[Don Corleone]

Have you *seen* Larry Lacewell's wife?

Please describe (in words that comply with forum rules, of course).

 

[TellerMorrow34]

Yeah he slept with Lace's wife while they were both at OU. Long before he came to Dallas.

 

[InmanRoshi]

The part about Switzer sleeping with Lacewell's wife was news to me. What a fricked up organization we were.

That supposedly happened the week OU was playing the National Championship game against Arkansas in the Orange Bowl in January 1978. It may have been Swizter's best team at OU, and that's saying something. That was Billy Simms' break out year. They got absolutely routed by an inferior Arkansas team 31-6. Completely outplayed from the opening kickoff. Most longtime Sooner fans will say it's the all time worst loss in the program's history. Some rumors have suggested that the affair was the cause of distraction leading up to the game. Some Sooner fans have even claimed that Lacewell gave Arkansas their playbook and gameplan in revenge, as it's the only way to explain how Arkansas defense could hold Simms and the OU offense to 6 points. I find that hard to believe, but there were definitely big time distractions involved with Lacewell at OU that went beyond that mess ..

This is from an old SI article from 1978..

Throughout last year, there had been unhappiness on the Sooner coaching staff, and much venom was directed, privately, toward Defensive Coordinator Larry Lacewell. He was one of 12 assistants to Switzer but he didn't think of himself that way. One day at practice Lacewell was asked for something and he sniffed, "Ask one of the assistant coaches to do it." There was talk that Lacewell, Switzer and others partied too much and prepared for games too little. Before the Orange Bowl game, Lacewell was standing at a bar one night with a big crowd gathered around. "This is going to be the first time in history a team had to send home its coaches for disciplinary reasons," he said. There were those who didn't laugh.

Pressure mounted on Switzer to fire Lacewell. Other assistants threatened to quit. Then, several months after the Orange Bowl debacle, Lacewell and Switzer had a personal falling-out, and Lacewell quit. Subsequently, Jerry Pettibone and Gene Hochevar left for reasons of their own. As a result of all this turmoil, people suspected that some of the wheels had fallen off the Sooner wagons and there was no way to get them circled up in time to defend their Big Eight title.

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1094186/2/index.htm

 

[rcaldw]

All this garbage is why I will always say that Aikman was ultimately the MVP of this team. He had some sanity about him in the midst of an insane situation at times, and he was all about winning football games.