Jim Irsay, the outspoken and flawed Indianapolis Colts owner who dared to publicly challenge NFL’s most controversial figure, Dan Snyder, has died peacefully in his sleep at age 65, the Colts announced Wednesday.
More than two years ago, when Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder threatened to disrupt the NFL’s billionaire brotherhood with whispered threats and dirty secrets, many inside the league wondered who would stand up to him.
The answer came unexpectedly in October 2022: Jim Irsay.
Walking into a sea of microphones in a New York hotel lobby, Irsay made a rare, bold public statement that sent shockwaves through the league.
“I believe there is merit to removing him as owner of the team,” Irsay declared — a direct challenge that helped accelerate the end of Snyder’s troubled tenure.
Irsay was different from the usual NFL owner stereotype — a “young Turk” unafraid to air his own personal battles.
Known for his candidness about his struggles with substance abuse and mental health, he was both colorful and vulnerable in a league where owners often keep a stiff upper lip.
That raw honesty made him relatable, even as his team faltered on the field over the past decade.
Yet Irsay’s legacy goes deeper than controversy.
Under his leadership, the Colts transformed Indianapolis into a football city, with 16 years of playoff runs anchored by legends Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck.
He hired visionary GM Bill Polian and helped build one of the NFL’s most exciting offenses, culminating in a 2006 Super Bowl victory — the franchise’s first in more than three decades.
Despite the team’s struggles after Manning’s departure and Luck’s unexpected retirement, Irsay showed grace, releasing Manning to find success elsewhere and declining to recoup millions after Luck’s career ended abruptly.
He treated his players like family — a value instilled by advice from NFL greats like Dan Rooney and Wellington Mara.
Irsay’s personal life was marked by tragedy and perseverance.
Born into a family shadowed by addiction, he openly fought his demons, checking into rehab multiple times after a 2014 DUI arrest and nearly dying from an overdose in 2023.
Still, he remained deeply committed to his family and community, donating millions toward mental health and addiction programs.
At the time of his death, Irsay was preparing to pass the Colts to his three daughters — Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt, and Kalen Jackson — ensuring the team’s future remains in Indianapolis without fear of relocation, a painful chapter the city experienced when the franchise left Baltimore decades earlier.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell mourned Irsay as “a man deeply committed to his family, the game, the Colts, and the Indianapolis community,” while former Colts players, including Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne, expressed their heartbreak on social media.
Jim Irsay was the NFL’s fallible and touchable owner — a man who took on the untouchable Dan Snyder when no one else would.
He leaves behind a complicated, human legacy marked by boldness, pain, and unwavering love for the game.
In Irsay’s own words from 2022, there truly was “merit” in standing up — a merit that now defines how he will be remembered.
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