The whispers started not long after Colts owner Jim Irsay died on May 21, at the age of 65. The Washington Post, in an exhaustive new report, has raised troubling questions about his passing and his health in the months preceding it.
Per the report, based on interviews with five people who spoke on the condition of anonymity “out of fear of retaliation from the Colts,” Irsay had suffered three overdoses in the final five years of his life. One happened in February 2020, another happened in December 2023, and yet another happened 12 days later.
The Post also reports that, when he died, Irsay was under the care of Harry Haroutunian, a “‘luxury’ recovery doctor’” who prescribed Irsay opioids, and eventually ketamine. Dr. Haroutunian signed the death certificate, which attributed Irsay’s passing to cardiac arrest. There was, per the Post, no autopsy or toxicology testing.
According to the Post, Irsay and team executives “repeatedly misled the public about his relapse.”
“Our Dad was open about his battles with addiction and mental health,” his daughters (and Colts owners), Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt, and Kalen Jackson, wrote in an email to the Post. “He never claimed to be perfect. The media is not the place to address inquiries about information which is disputed, lacks essential context, or involves private medical matters.”
They declined a request from the Post to be interviewed for the story, which would have allowed them to explain which information is disputed, to supply the accurate information, and/or to provide the “essential context.”
Dr. Haroutunian “briefly discussed” his treatment of Irsay in a phone interview with the Post before clamming up, citing medical privacy laws.
“I dedicated 18 months of my life to try to care for him . . . as a brother,” Dr. Haroutunian told the Post. “We did everything we could to make him as comfortable as possible.”
Colts COO Pete Ward declined an interview request from the Post. Colts general counsel Dan Emerson, who has worked for the team since 1984, provided an email to the Post.
“I’ve always approached my responsibilities with the utmost professionalism and care,” Emerson wrote. “Out of respect for everyone, I don’t believe it’s appropriate to comment on anyone’s private health matters, whether living or deceased. . . . We handled everything in an appropriate, professional, ethical and moral fashion. . . . I really wish everybody would let my friend rest in peace.”
The secrecy is in sharp contrast to the transparency Irsay preached. It also conceals the question of whether Dr. Haroutunian has any responsibility for Irsay’s death. (We’re not saying there’s responsibility; we’re saying that the secrecy keeps the question from even being explored.)
The Post also reports that “Colts employees who worked close to Irsay were made to sign strict confidentiality agreements, as were his personal employees at his home, including his cooks and nurses, and even his girlfriends.”
In connection with the December 2023 overdose, it was Ward who made the 911 call from Irsay’s home.
“We have a gentleman who is unresponsive,” Ward told the 911 dispatchers. “He is breathing, but he’s bluish in color and we believe that he may be having congestive heart failure.” Per the Post, “Ward made no mention of pills or Irsay’s history of overdoses.”
When Irsay died in California, Beverly Hills police found Irsay’s body in a “hospital-bed” type setup. Haroutunian told the officers that Irsay “had been battling several chronic health issues,” and a spokesperson for the department said that there was “no evidence that our detectives saw that made them suspicious that it was an overdose.”
The death certificate, prepared by Dr. Haroutunian, explains that “Irsay had died of cardiac arrest caused by acute pneumonia, with two heart conditions, chronic atrial fibrillation and cardiac arrhythmia, as contributing factors.”
For more, read the full story. It paints a troubling picture of a man who was apparently in the throes of addiction, and who was surrounded by an atmosphere of enablement — and perhaps cared for by a doctor whose care may have expedited the final result.
Again, there’s no way of knowing whether that’s the case, due to the extreme secrecy that surrounds Irsay’s health condition.
