On January 9, the Indianapolis Colts announced that team owner Jim Irsay was being treated for a severe respiratory illness. In the statement, the team said Irsay would be unable to perform with his band at an upcoming show, but that the 64-year-old owner was receiving excellent care and looking forward to returning to the stage as soon as possible. Two days later, general manager Chris Ballard told reporters that Irsay was stable and working through it, but didn’t discuss anything further.
Since then, there had been no new updates on his health. However, on Wednesday, TMZ reported that Irsay had a recent suspected overdose and was found unresponsive during the early hours of Dec. 8. This prompted another statement from the Colts organization on Wednesday.
While not confirming, denying, or even acknowledging TMZ’s report, the franchise said, “Mr. Irsay continues to recover from his respiratory illness. We will have no further comment on his personal health, and we continue to ask that Jim and his family’s privacy be respected.”
Colts statement on owner Jim Irsay, who TMZ reports had a recent suspected overdose: "Mr. Irsay continues to recover from his respiratory illness. We will have no further comment on his personal health, and we continue to ask that Jim and his family’s privacy be respected."
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) January 17, 2024
Colts: Jim Irsay continues to recover from his respiratory illness
While there were questions about Irsay’s whereabouts during the last few weeks of the regular season, it is important to note that Jim Irsay was present at Indy’s Week 15 home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. That game took place on Saturday, Dec.16, which would’ve been a week after the date that TMZ is reporting Irsay was found unresponsive after a suspected overdose.
Jim Irsay has spent his life in the spotlight and has been pretty open about the highs and lows he’s faced. The most recent example of that was a sit down interview with Andrea Kremer for HBO’s “Real Sports,” where the Colts’ owner talked about the good and bad experiences in his life. Understanding how open and honest Irsay is about everything, it’s important to pay attention to what’s coming directly from him or the team at a time like this.
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