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Jim Irsay speaks on arrest, offers no apologies

By Jacob Rude

Sep 16, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay and general manager Ryan Grigson stand on the sidelines before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Lucas Oil Stadium. Indianapolis defeats Minnesota 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 16, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay and general manager Ryan Grigson stand on the sidelines before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Lucas Oil Stadium. Indianapolis defeats Minnesota 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jim Irsay has been in the news for all the wrong reasons of late, having been arrested in mid-March after failing a field sobriety test while driving erratically, with pills and $29,000 in cash found in his car. Since then, Irsay has remained in the shadows, making his first public appearance at the owners meetings while making a bid for the Super Bowl in Indianapolis in 2018.

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    • In one of his first public comments since the arrest, Irsay talked with Indianapolis Times columnis Bob Kravitz about his struggle with addiction, while also talking about stint in rehab.

    "“It’s all been a blessing, just being able to focus on my health and redouble the efforts on recovery,” Irsay said. “It’s been a long path. I still have chronic pain. But it was the good thing… In some ways, (going through rehab) is my greatest moment. It takes courage to try and overcome the difficulties you have. For some reason, it’s seen as unheroic. When someone beats cancer, it’s like, `Wow, that’s so heroic,’ but when someone has this illness, it’s treated like you’re a leper because that person is morally corrupt, and that’s not the case.”"

    More interestingly, when asked if he felt the need to apologize, Irsay offered nothing such, instead hinting at more details to come.

    "“I don’t think that’s something I’ll address right now,” he said. “There are certain things I want to say that I can’t say. We need to let the process go forward and I’ll address that later. I’m a human being; if there’s something I have to apologize for, I would, but at this point, it wouldn’t be appropriate. It sets me up, like if you don’t say you’re sorry, then why aren’t you saying you’re sorry, and if you say you’re sorry, then you must have done something wrong."

    Certainly, the latter remarks from Irsay offer more of an interesting subplot. He certainly is referencing his ongoing case for the arrest, but won’t comment on the matter. While he has a point regarding a possible apology, at least he is acknowledges he has a problem, a vital step toward recovery. Nevertheless, his interesting comments mean that there is more news to come, which we’ll stay tuned for.

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