Jim Irsay Suspended by NFL
Sep 16, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay standing 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
The NFL has dished out punishment to Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay following his DWI charges in March.
Yesterday, the NFL suspended Irsay for the first six games of the 2014 season along with a maximum $500,000 fine for his actions. The punishment came just a few hours after Irsay pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor account of driving while intoxicated. As a result of the charges, Irsay was assigned one year of probation.
Irsay issued a statement on his punishment:
"“I acknowledge the mistake I made last March and stand responsible for the consequences of that mistake, for which I sincerely apologize to our community and to Colts fans everywhere. Even more importantly, though, I am committed to do everything in my power to turn this whole experience into a positive event for myself, my family, and the community.In retrospect, I now know that the incident opened my eyes to issues in my life that needed addressing and helped put me on the path to regain my health. I truly hope and pray that my episode will help in some small measure to diminish the stigma surrounding our country’s terrible and deadly problem of addiction. It is a disease like other progressive, terminal diseases — one that can only be successfully treated by understanding, committed hard work, and spiritual growth. I am deeply grateful for the tremendous outpouring of love and support during these past few months from my family, friends, care-givers, and our great community. Please know I am firmly committed to staying on my path to good health and I look forward to a great season.”"
As part of the suspension, Irsay is unable to communicate with the Colts in any way and he must stay away from buildings owned by the organization. In addition, Irsay must refrain from using his Twitter account to talk about the team.
In Irsay’s stead, his daughter, Carly Irsay-Gordon will be in charge of all day-to-day and team operations. The suspension started today at 5 p.m. and will expire on October 9th when the Colts travel to play Houston.
Irsay will be missed in Indy for the first six games, but he has assured the organization that the Colts will be okay under the direction of Carly and will perform well with Ryan Grigson and Chuck Pagano still at the helm.
In the meantime, hopefully this lengthy punishment serves as a learning tool for Irsay who has been afflicted by addiction for a very long time. He has since been in rehab and has lowered the amount of pain medication that he takes.
Get better Jim. The Colts need you.