A report from The Washington Post states that former Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay experienced recurring struggles with an addiction to pain medication in the years leading up to his death on May 21. According to the article, which cited five individuals with direct knowledge of the events who requested anonymity due to concerns about possible repercussions from the franchise, Irsay experienced multiple overdose episodes beginning in 2020. The report notes that two of these incidents occurred within a 12-day period spanning December 2023 and January 2024, the first at Irsay’s residence in the Indianapolis area and the second at a location in Miami. Following these events, Irsay was largely absent from public and organizational activities for approximately four months. At the time, Colts personnel attributed his absence to a severe respiratory condition.
Irsay’s daughters, Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt, and Kalen Jackson, who represent the family’s third generation in team leadership, declined interview requests from the Post, though they issued a written statement acknowledging their father’s long-term struggles and his openness about them. The report also mentions that Irsay was reportedly prescribed ketamine in the months prior to his death, and that police responded to the Beverly Hills hotel room in which he was found.
Jim Irsay’s involvement with professional football began in the early 1970s as a ball boy for the Baltimore Colts. He later became the league’s youngest general manager in 1984 and assumed full ownership of the team in 1997.
