Former Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay suffered three overdoses over the final five years of his life and was prescribed ketamine from a ‘luxury’ doctor, who signed Irsay’s death certificate in California when he died in May at 65, according to a report in The Washington Post.
The Post cited interviews with five people who spoke anonymously because of fear of retribution from the Colts and also obtained prescription records, flight data and law enforcement reports.
Open about his addiction to alcohol and opioids, Irsay maintained he was clean for years. But the Post found evidence he suffered three overdoses from 2020 on. First, he was airlifted from Turks and Caicos in February 2020. The next came in December 2023 at his home in suburban Indianapolis and then again 12 days later at a resort in Florida, according to the Post.
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Irsay’s public appearances declined with his health and he noticeably had difficulty walking or standing during the 2024 season.
Dr. Harry Haroutunian, a prominent addiction specialist based in southern California, treated Irsay with ketamine in the final months of his life, according to the Post. There was no toxicology report or autopsy performed, per the Post.
“I dedicated 18 months of my life to try to care for him . . . as a brother,” Haroutunian told the Post. “We did everything we could to make him as comfortable as possible.”
The team is now owned by Irsay’s three daughters, Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson. Irsay-Gordon will be the team’s governor at league meetings and is the CEO.
“Our Dad was open about his battles with addiction and mental health. He never claimed to be perfect,” Irsay’s daughters wrote in an email to the Post. “The media is not the place to address inquiries about information which is disputed, lacks essential context, or involves private medical matters.”
Irsay and the Colts launched ‘Kicking The Stigma,’ a charity based on being transparent about addiction and health issues, in 2022.
“We can either be an example through death, or an example through living,” Irsay told the Indianapolis Star, part of the USA TODAY Network, in 2022.
Irsay became the youngest general manager in league history (24) in 1984 when his father Robert, who previously owned the Colts and moved them from Baltimore to Indianapolis, and inherited the Colts after Robert’s death in 1997. Indianapolis won the Super Bowl following the 2006 season.