
Jim Irsay, the owner of the Indianapolis Colts, claimed in a recently published interview that after being arrested for driving under the influence in 2014, he was “prejudiced against” because he was a “rich, White billionaire.”
During the year, Irsay entered a guilty plea to a misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated; however, in a Tuesday HBO interview, the 64-year-old claimed that his wealth and social standing were the cause of his arrest.
In a Real Sports interview with Bryant Gumbel, Irsay stated, “I am a rich, White billionaire, and I am discriminated against because of this.”
“Of course not, they’re not pulling me in if I’m just the average guy down the block,” Irsay continued. Forbes estimates Irsay’s net worth to be $4.3 billion.
The Colts and the Carmel Police Department have been contacted by CNN for comments.
Lt. DJ Schoeff of the Carmel Police said, “We are very sorry to hear that remark about our officers and our department,” in a statement provided to the Indianapolis Star.
The statement went on, “We have a very professional agency made up of officers that work hard to protect our community with integrity and professionalism.”
Irsay was taken into custody on March 16, 2014, in Carmel, Indiana, and charged with both possession of a controlled substance and operating a vehicle while intoxicated. Police reported that they discovered prescription medications in pill bottles at the scene of the arrest. According to the police, there were no prescription bottles in the car that were connected to the drugs.
Irsay was found to have oxycodone and hydrocodone in his system when he was taken into custody, based on evidence presented in court.
The Colts owner’s eyes were “red and glassy,” his speech was “slow and slurred,” and his balance was “very unsteady,” according to the probable cause affidavit. He told an officer “that he was having a hard time finding his house,” struggled to recite the alphabet, and failed multiple field sobriety tests.
Irsay was fined $500,000 for breaking the NFL’s personal conduct policy and was suspended by the league for the Colts’ first six regular-season games of that season.
Irsay voluntarily checked himself into a rehabilitation center after his arrest. He has previously discussed his battles with addiction in public.
The longtime Colts owner said he didn’t care when Kremer asked if he was aware of how his accusations of prejudice might come across to the general public.
Irsay said that he could “barely walk at all” and that he only pled guilty to the misdemeanor in order to “get it over with,” attributing the failure of the sobriety test to a bad hip that required surgery.
That is accurate. I couldn’t care less what other people thought or how something sounded. “The truth is truth,” he continued.
Online, Irsay’s claims of prejudice drew harsh criticism, with ESPN pundit Stephen A. Smith labeling them as “ridiculous.”
Smith stated, “It just shows how detached he is,” on First Take with ESPN.
In response to the online criticism, Irsay—who has owned the Colts since 1997—posted on X, a platform that was formerly known as Twitter, writing, “There was NO alcohol, No illegal drugs.”