Video: A Wild Bar Brawl Breaks Out, Despite Michael Irvin's Best Efforts to Broker Peace

TMZ - Despite Michael Irvin's best efforts to keep the peace -- bar patrons still got involved in a wild fistfight near the Hall of Famer in Texas on Monday ... and the crazy scene was all captured in a video obtained by TMZ Sports.

The altercation happened at around 10 p.m. at Knockout Sports Bar near Dallas. ...

[T]he former Dallas Cowboys superstar was playing some pool with a friend near the bar area -- when a man wearing a teal T-shirt walked up to try to get a picture with The Playmaker. 

The footage shows Irvin even hugged the guy in the teal in order to prevent a fracas. But, we're told the guy kept pressing -- and eventually, it led to an all-out brawl.

The man swung on Irvin's friend a few times, appearing to connect with his jaw repeatedly. Bouncers raced in, but the melee seemed to continue.

Witnesses say the man who was playing with Irvin, though, told the guy to scram -- which set the dude in the teal off.

You can see in the video, the man seemed to have a huge problem with Irvin's friend ... but the ex-wide receiver eventually stepped in to get everyone to calm down. ...

It should be noted Irvin was NOT involved in the fight in any way [and] left the venue minutes after the scrap concluded.

Michael "The Peacemaker" Irvin, amirite? 

Allow me to preface this by saying something I've mentioned here before: I'm a big Michael Irvin guy. When I was on WEEI we did a weekly interview with him. And apart from his sometimes terrible phone service, he was as good a guest as we ever had. Thoughtful. Engaging. Funny. At times brutally honest about his personal life and the demons he's conquered. Love him. 

As a man who is known to have the occasional drop of liquor in certain social situations (ahem), there are times when I truly feel for a guy like Irvin, or anyone who's on the bright. This is one. Rarely am I ever in a group of drinkers but I can't partake. But sometimes I've had a long drive ahead or some obligation after where I have to be clean and sober. And when that does happen, it can be a miserable experience. 

Now try to imagine Irvin - who's been on the wagon for decades - trying to reason with Mr. Unreasonable in the teal shirt. A guy so full of piss and vinegar that even Irvin's fame, a sympathetic hug. or the moral authority of his sea captain's hat couldn't quell his rage. If a football Hall of Famer trying to respectfully hammer out a peace agreement like he's Boutrous Boutrous Irvin can't prevent hostilities from breaking out, that's a terrible indictment of Mr. Teal and his band of goons. 

And while we're on the subject, is there a guy you want to have in a foxhole with you less than Mr. Teal? Holy moly, what a punkass he is. He gets his moment with his hero, an experience that any self-respecting Cowboys fan would cut off a finger to have. But he can't let it go. He has to keep running his mouth on the way out of the place. And while sure, he gets a couple of blows in, the guy he hits comes up pointing to his smile, and it's ear-to-ear. Meanwhile, Mr. Teal's buddy in the gray shirt steps in to separate the combatants, only to get pinned to the ground. And where's Mr. Teal? In relative safety 20 feet to the rear, listening to Mr. Gray beg for mercy. The absolute worst kind of drunk there is. 

So good on Irvin that he had the maturity and good sense to stay back on the other side of the bar. In a sober, safe zone away from the drunken fray. Noping out of there while chatting up the bartenders at the unironically named Knockout Sports Bar. Who, for whatever reason, wear thongs on the job. Assholes causing easily preventable fistfights aside, this is not the worst advertisement of a Dallas sports pub. You get to have a few beers, watch the game, flirt with bartenders who look like they're about to work the pole back in The Champagne Room, and rub elbows with one of the great Cowboys of all time. Next time I'm in Dallas, I know where I'm heading. I just hope Mr. Teal gets permanently banned. Because like The Playmaker, I'm too old for this shit.