Late Colts owner Jim Irsay privately grappled with a relapse that he and team execs shielded from the public ahead of his death in May at the age of 65, according to a bombshell report.
Irsay, who had long been candid about his battle with substance abuse, “spent the last two years of his life in the throes of a relapse,” The Washington Post reported Thursday, with the report also alleging the NFL exec was prescribed ketamine from a private doctor.
That doctor “signed Irsay’s death certificate, stating the cause was cardiac arrest,” per the report, which stated no toxicology testing was administered, nor an autopsy.
Those close to Irsay had relayed concerns over the treatment he was receiving from California-based addiction specialist Harry Haroutunian, who was residing at the Beverly Hills Hotel, where Irsay passed away this spring.
The report states that Haroutunian prescribed over 200 opioid pills before Irsay overdosed on two separate occasions in December 2023 — once at his Indianapolis home and another at a rental home in Miami.
Before the incident in Florida, Irsay — who became the Colts’ owner in 1997 — allegedly fired a nurse because she attempted to conceal his pills. She was worried he was ingesting them at a rapid rate, according to a police report.
In the weeks following those ordeals, cops suspected in January 2024 that Irsay had suffered an “overdose.”
However, both Irsay and the Colts publicly denied that was the case. The team described Irsay’s issues as a “severe respiratory illness” and Irsay claimed he was simply recovering from back surgery.
When a Colts exec called 911 that night, they did not mention pills or drug use, just that Irsay’s heart may be failing, The Washington Post reported.
Ex-Colts employees alleged chief operating officer Pete Ward and general counsel Dan Emerson “helped keep Irsay’s relapses under cover,” according to The Washington Post.
“I’ve always approached my responsibilities with the utmost professionalism and care,” Ward told The Washington Post via email. “Out of respect for everyone, I don’t believe it’s appropriate to comment on anyone’s private health matters, whether living or deceased.”
Emerson said in a phone interview, “We handled everything in an appropriate, professional, ethical and moral fashion… I really wish everybody would let my friend rest in peace.”
Irsay’s treatments eventually escalated to ketamine injections in the months before his death, per those with knowledge of his relapses.
“I dedicated 18 months of my life to try to care for him … as a brother,” Haroutunian told The Washington Post in a phone interview — but later did not respond to emails that detailed the paper’s reporting.
“We did everything we could to make him as comfortable as possible.”
Upon announcing Irsay’s death in May, the franchise stated he died “peacefully in his sleep.”
His three daughters — Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson — have since taken over the Colts in the wake of his death.
“Our Dad was open about his battles with addiction and mental health. He never claimed to be perfect,” the statement read. “The media is not the place to address inquiries about information which is disputed, lacks essential context, or involves private medical matters.”
Irsay’s daughters also called attention to his legacy, writing, “Our focus remains on honoring our Dad’s legacy, his decades of philanthropy, his loyalty to the Colts and its fans, and his passion for mental health advocacy, music, and second chances.”
The Colts launched the Kicking The Stigma campaign in 2020 with a focus on mental health.
“We can either be an example through death, or an example through living,” Irsay told the Indy Star in 2022. “You’re going to be an example one way or another, and I’ve had a courtside view my whole life in so many different ways with this (mental health) issue. Kicking the Stigma has given me an avenue to discuss this.
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