The Indianapolis Colts are still grappling with the sudden loss of Jim Irsay, who owned the team for nearly 30 years. Tributes and messages of shock and grief quickly poured out from Colts nation, but while former GMs and coaches spoke up, current general manager Chris Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen have remained quiet... until now.
Steichen held a press conference during the first day of OTAs, where he was clearly emotional talking about Irsay's death.
"Kalen, Casey, their spouses, Zach, Boyd, Anthony, all the grandkids... prayers and thoughts with them during this time," he said, clearly emotional. "A lot of you guys know Mr. Irsay really well. I've covered this team for a long time and I was with him for two years. Phenomenal human being. You guys know how generous he was."
He then had another thing to add: "We're going to win for Jim this year."
Memorials to Irsay have been constant since his death. He was a major part of turning Indianapolis into a sports destination, and he was honored in kind this past weekend. At the Indy 500, a moment of silence was held, and the normally raucous, rowdy crowd of hundreds of thousands of people were shockingly silent; his daughter, Casey, was also chosen to wave the green flag for the symbolic start to the race. The Indiana Pacers likewise held a moment of silence, as they hosted Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks.
The Colts also released a three-minute memorial video about Irsay's life and legacy. Additionally, the team released a statement announcing that every player on the team would wear a patch on their jersey through the 2025 season in Irsay's honor. The patch is black, with his initials - "J.I." - along with his signature and the signature smiley face he added to every autograph. It also has seven grommets, which can be seen on the Colts' iconic horseshoe logo. Every profile picture on the Colts' social media pages was also changed to the image of the patch.
Irsay, whose very last tweet was cheering on the Pacers, was a devout supporter of his teams. And there is nothing that would honor his memory more than for Steichen to keep his promise and win this year... for Jim.