Former Dallas Cowboys star Michael Irvin is doing his best to manage expectations as he cares for his wife, Sandy Harrell, amid her battle with early-onset Alzheimer’s.
“She’s still at the house and everything’s still going the same,” Irvin, 60, exclusively told Us Weekly at his media availability prior to Netflix’ coverage of the 2026 Home Run Derby. “You know what I mean? A good day is to have the same day. You know, we know we’re not going to get better. We just got to make sure we maintain and continue to try to limit how [much] worse we get, but she’s doing good.”
Irvin and Harrell, 60, met at the University of Miami and have been married since 1990, two years after the Cowboys drafted him. They share daughters Myesha, 36, and Chelsea, 30, as well as sons Michael Jr., 29, and Elijah, 27.
The Pro Football Hall of Famer added that Harrell has been battling the disease since she was “49, maybe 48.”
“We thought it was menopause,” he explained. “Nobody knew about it. I kept it quiet until something happened with one of my family members. Then it got out.”
Irvin first disclosed publicly that Harrell had Alzheimer’s in June 2024 and has offered periodic updates since. Though he tried to keep her diagnosis quiet at first, he noted the outpouring of support he has seen.
“I’ve had so many people that have come up to me, you know, and say, ‘Michael, [I’m] going through it, [I’m] going through it,’” he said. “The more we talk about what we’re going through and our issues, the better it is for everybody.”
Irvin and his family have enlisted the help of nurses to provide around-the-clock care for Harrell — something that he admits he cannot do on his own and helps guarantee she will stay in the comfort of her home, rather than a medical facility.
Between his “The White House With Michael Irvin” podcast and other media opportunities, Irvin has found an escape in sports.
“I just love the fact that Netflix gives me an opportunity to move around,” he said. “I don’t want to just stay in one sport. I love football. You know I love it. But I love UFC, love baseball, love basketball. So getting the opportunity to be around and do everything and seeing the ins and outs of it is great.”
He also shared that Jose Canseco is his dream Home Run Derby batter that he would love to see take his cuts. Thinking back to an episode of Pros vs. Joes that he did with Canseco, now 62, Irvin remembers being in awe of the controversial slugger’s swing.
“I never heard a ball hit off the bat like he did,” Irvin said. “It was different. That’s when I knew this s*** [was] different. You know what I’m saying?”
