Colts announce ownership transition from late Jim Irsay to his 3 daughters

New York Times

09-06-2025

Ownership of the Indianapolis Colts will transition from late owner and CEO Jim Irsay to his daughters, Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson, the Colts announced Monday.
Irsay-Gordon, Foyt and Jackson have served as Colts vice chair/owners since 2012, and will assume new roles and titles, effective immediately. Irsay-Gordon will become owner and CEO, serving as the team's principal owner; Foyt will become owner and executive vice president; and Jackson will become owner and chief brand officer as well as president of the Indianapolis Colts Foundation.
We have announced details on the transition of team ownership from late Owner & CEO Jim Irsay to his daughters, Carlie-Irsay Gordon, Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson:
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) June 9, 2025
Irsay died peacefully in his sleep on May 21, 2025, at age 65. He had owned the Colts since the death of his father, Robert, in 1997.
Irsay-Gordon stepped in as the Colts' shot caller when Irsay was arrested for driving while intoxicated in March 2014. She took over when Irsay spent time in a rehab facility and again when the NFL suspended him six games that year for his misconduct. She has been present in the Colts' war room on draft weekends, has been on the sideline wearing a headset on game days and was heavily involved in the team's coaching search in 2023, which resulted in the hiring of Shane Steichen.
'She will ask 500 questions about why, and a lot of times, it'll halfway piss me off, but I'll go, and I'll (start) thinking, 'She's right,'' Colts general manager Chris Ballard said of Irsay-Gordon in February 2019, per the IndyStar. 'She asks the question from a different perspective and makes you think about why you do what you're doing.'
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Ballard and Pete Ward, the team's chief operating officer, will remain in place, running day-to-day operations of the organization.
For some NFL franchises, the death of an owner can spark interest from powerful and wealthy bidders, eager to sink their teeth into a rare investment opportunity. But when Irsay died, the plan was always to keep the franchise in the family and pass the Colts down to his daughters. It was simply a formality for Irsay-Gordon, Foyt and Jackson to take over, and Monday's announcement was more so about providing clarity of their forthcoming roles than reacting to any earth-shattering news.
The decision for Irsay-Gordon to step in as the principal owner falls right in line with the position Irsay prepared her for over several years. The eldest of Irsay's three daughters, Irsay-Gordon will likely shoulder most of the decision-making from a football operations standpoint.
One looming question that shifts from her father to her: Just how much patience does she have for Ballard? The Colts GM is entering his ninth season with the franchise, but through the first eight years, his resume includes only two playoff berths, one postseason win and zero AFC South titles. — James Boyd, Colts staff writer
(Photo of Carlie Irsay-Gordon: Robert Scheer / USA Today via Imagn Images)