Michael Irvin and His Wife Sandy Harrell Have Been Together for over 30 Years

Former NFL player Michael Irvin and his wife, Sandy Harrell, have been married for over thirty years and raised three children together. Although their love story remained a mystery, Irvin revealed some of its challenges after many years of silence.

Michael Irvin and Sandy Harrell tied the knot in 1990, sometime after Irvin had joined the NFL. The couple welcomed three kids into their union, ushering in a new Irvin family generation with three grandchildren. The former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver also has a daughter from a previous relationship.

Irvin has an active public presence and regularly shares his amusing interactions with his grandkids on his social media accounts. On the other hand, Harrell rarely appears on his pages and doesn't seem to have an active social page of her own.

The couple has kept their relationship private and continues to do so. However, there was a time when another NFL player intervened in their marriage, with Irvin only revealing the intrusion in 2014. Still, it seems they're going strong, as Harrell gave her husband a luxurious gift for his 50th birthday.

The Couple Keeps Their Love Story Private

Irvin and Harrell married on June 23, 1990, two years after Irvin was drafted into the Dallas Cowboys in the first round. They have two sons, Michael Jr. and Elijah, and a daughter, Chelsea. Before Irvin married, he was romantically involved with Felicia Walker, and the pair welcomed a daughter named Myesha.

So far, Irvin only has granddaughters Brooklyn, Carmen, and Alyah. Apart from Brooklyn, it's unclear to whom Carmen and Alyah were born specifically. In 2016, Irvin and Harrell enjoyed a vacation in Las Vegas before Irvin's 50th birthday.

Upon their return on that special day, Harrell surprised her husband with the luxurious Bentley Mulsanne. The Pro Football Hall of Famer took to his socials to announce the exciting news, gushing about his new wheels.

Hard Times for the Couple

In 2014, Irvin called out Cris Carter for a harsh public statement about Josh Gordon of the Cleveland Browns, saying the team should cut Gordon off after failing numerous drug tests. Both Irvin and Carter struggled with addiction in their careers.

Carter played for the Philadelphia Eagles when he abused substances until the team eventually cut him off. His statement about Gordon came from experience, as he felt being cut from the team encouraged him to change his ways for the better, and he thought that would also work for Gordon.

Irvin begged to differ and thought Carter had gone too far with his opinion. Although the consequences Carter dealt with worked in his favor, Irvin felt they weren't guaranteed to garner the same results for another person. However, that wasn't the first time Irvin thought Carter had crossed a line.

Irvin was still battling substance abuse when Carter advised Harrell to abandon the former NFL star. During a radio interview, Irvin claimed that Carter told Harrell the only way her husband's addiction would end was if she left him. Irvin didn't reveal when he discovered the disturbing intrusion on his personal life, as he explained:

"For years, I’ve held it. I've never shared that with anybody. I’ve never in my life shared that with anybody. I was so irked with Cris because he was out of line then. His ... is out of line now. He is out. Of. Line."

Irvin Posts Family Updates on His Social Media

In July this year, he tweeted a sweet photo of himself, Myesha, and her daughter Brooklyn. The 56-year-old Michael Irvin – who had a health scare in 2019 – gushed about his lineage as he captioned the post, saying:

"My baby holding my baby. My daughter holding my granddaughter. My little girl holding her little girl (⁦@Myesha_Beyonca⁩ , Brooklynn)."

Irvin smiled as he posed next to his daughter and granddaughter, sporting a black printed t-shirt, ripped jeans, and glasses. Myesha wore a matching green two-piece and smiled as she held Brooklynn, who donned a navy floral dress with her hair up in a bun.

The following month, he posted an endearing clip of himself and Alyah spending quality time. In the video, Irvin repeatedly told his youngest grandchild how much he loved her as they played with a Dallas Cowboys cap. Alyah would excitedly put the cap on and off, causing her grandfather to laugh in amusement.

About two weeks later, Irvin tweeted another humorous interaction with his eldest grandchild, Carmen, alongside a photo of her wearing a captain's hat. He jokingly captioned the post, telling his followers that when Carmen put the captain's hat on, she became the "captain of the entire house."

Irvin then shared a video depicting a funny conversation with Carmen about her playing Roblox. When he told the 4-year-old that she was supposed to play once she reached 8, Carmen protested, telling him that a boy named Logan got the game when he was her age.

In September, the father of three tweeted a picture of Alyah, who stood next to a new-looking bicycle with a saddle that read "Dallas Cowboys." The toddler wore a black dress with floral embroidery and pink sandals.