Colts owner Jim Irsay reportedly found unresponsive in home last month due to 'suspected overdose'
Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay was reportedly found unresponsive in his home in December due to what the police report called a "suspected overdose."
According to records obtained by Max Lewis and Matt Adams of FOX 59 Indianapolis, emergency responders were called to Irsay's residence in Carmel, Indiana, at 4:30 a.m. on Dec. 8 to assist with a man who was "unresponsive, breathing, but turning blue." In the report, that man was identified as Irsay, who had fallen in the bathroom and been moved to a nearby bed.
“Irsay was unconscious with abnormal breathing (agonal breathing), a weak pulse, and he was cold to the touch,” the responding officer said in the report via FOX 59. The officer tried to rouse him with a sternum rub, which was unsuccessful. Next he administered a dose of naloxone (also known as Narcan), which can help with opiate overdoses, which Irsay had a "slight response" to. The medics then arrived to take him to the hospital.
Irsay has been seen in public once since then, at the Dec. 16 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Colts announced on Jan. 9 that Irsay was receiving medical care for a "severe respiratory illness." No drug use was mentioned.
Irsay has struggled with drug and alcohol addiction in the past, and has been open about it. He told HBO's "Real Sports" in November that a past drug overdose stopped his breathing and nearly killed him. He also said he's been to rehab 15 times.
The Colts released a statement Wednesday morning that wasn't a direct rebuttal to the drug overdose story, but was certainly related. It reinforced that Irsay was continuing recover from a "respiratory illness" and there would be no further updates on his personal health.
Colts statement on Jim Irsay: "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."
— Joel A. Erickson (@JoelAErickson) January 17, 2024