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Washington Post
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Jim Irsay, owner of the Indianapolis Colts, dies at 65
The NFL lost one of its most prominent, outspoken and charismatic leaders and one of its most eclectic figures Wednesday when the Indianapolis Colts announced the death of the franchise's longtime owner, Jim Irsay. The Colts said that Irsay, 65, died 'peacefully in his sleep' Wednesday afternoon. The team did not specify a cause of death. 'Jim's dedication and passion for the Indianapolis Colts in addition to his generosity, commitment to the community, and most importantly, his love for his family were unsurpassed,' the Colts said in their statement. The announcement came hours after the NFL's team owners completed a two-day meeting at a Minneapolis-area hotel. Irsay had been absent from the meeting, just as he'd missed other such owners' meetings in recent months while struggling with health and mobility issues. But he'd remained in touch with people throughout the league and had stayed involved in team and NFL business. 'We were deeply saddened to learn of Jim Irsay's passing today,' NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a written statement. 'Jim was a friend, and a man deeply committed to his family, the game, the Colts, and the Indianapolis community. He spent his life and career in the National Football League. Starting as a teenager as a Colts' ballboy, he learned every position in the organization before assuming leadership of the Colts approximately 30 years ago. Jim's Colts won the Super Bowl, hosted another and built Lucas Oil Stadium.' Irsay was an NFL lifer who was named the Colts' general manager in 1984 under his late father, Robert Irsay, who moved the team from Baltimore to Indianapolis. Jim Irsay took over sole ownership of the franchise in 1997. 'Some of Jim's fondest memories came from his youth working training camps in Baltimore and growing relationships with players, coaches, and staff whom he considered his extended family,' the Colts said. 'He worked in every department before he was named the youngest general manager in team history. … [H]e led the Colts to a long series of division titles and brought the city its first Super Bowl Championship [as owner].' The Colts were among the NFL's most successful franchises in the early 2000s, with Tony Dungy as their coach and Peyton Manning as their quarterback. They reached the playoffs in seven straight seasons under Dungy and won a Super Bowl title in the 2006 season. Manning became an all-time great in a Colts uniform and established the league's top rivalry with his New England Patriots counterpart, Tom Brady. 'I am heartbroken to hear about Jim Irsay's passing,' Manning wrote on social media. 'He was an incredibly generous and passionate owner and I will always be indebted to him for giving me my start in the NFL. His love for the Colts and the city of Indy was unmatched. His impact on the players who played for him will not be forgotten. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and everyone in the Colts community. He will be missed.' The team returned to the Super Bowl in the 2009 season under Dungy's coaching successor, Jim Caldwell, but lost to the New Orleans Saints. The Colts reached the playoffs in the 2010 season but went 2-14 in 2011 as Manning was sidelined by a neck injury. He moved on to the Denver Broncos. The Colts thought they had their next iconic quarterback when they selected Andrew Luck with the top overall choice in the 2012 NFL draft. But Luck, after a promising start to his NFL career, struggled with injuries and shockingly retired just before the 2019 season. The Colts have been unable to find consistent success in recent seasons, with a revolving door of starting quarterbacks and a succession of coaches. Irsay drew criticism for naming Jeff Saturday, Manning's former center who had a dearth of coaching experience, the team's interim head coach during the 2022 season after firing Frank Reich. Irsay often spoke of his respect for NFL traditions. He was a power broker within the league who served on the NFL's influential finance committee, which oversaw major transactions such as the $6.05 billion sale of the Washington Commanders from Daniel Snyder to Josh Harris in 2023 and Brady's purchase of a minority ownership stake in the Las Vegas Raiders last year. The Raiders called Irsay 'one of professional football's most passionate stewards' and said in a statement: 'Jim's love of the Colts and appreciation for the NFL was evident in his tireless efforts to promote and improve the game, and his commitment to the Indianapolis community and generosity in his philanthropic efforts touched countless live.' Said Goodell: 'He led with integrity, passion and care for the Colts' players, coaches and staff, and his courageous work in support of mental health will be a lasting legacy. Outside of football, he was a talented musician and built an extraordinary collection of historical and musical artifacts that he shared with people across the country.' Amid investigations into allegations of misconduct in the Commanders' workplace in 2022, Irsay became the first owner to say publicly that he and his peers should seriously consider removing Snyder from ownership of the team. 'That's not what we stand for in the National Football League,' Irsay said in October 2022 in New York. 'And I think owners have been painted incorrectly a lot of times by various people and under various situations. And that's not what we're about. … There's just a lot of closeness in this league. And I don't think, some of the things I've heard, it doesn't represent us at all. And I want the American public and the world to know what we're about as owners.' Irsay had varied interests away from football. He was a musician whose band performed concerts before sizable crowds. He was an avid collector who owned rare and expensive guitars and other notable items, reportedly including the manuscript of Jack Kerouac's 'On the Road' and the founding document of Alcoholics Anonymous. Irsay, his family and the Colts established the Kicking the Stigma Action Fund to address mental health issues. But Irsay also battled personal demons. He told HBO's 'Real Sports' last year he'd been to rehabilitation at least 15 times and had previously overdosed. The NFL suspended Irsay for six games and fined him $500,000 under its personal conduct policy after he pleaded guilty in 2014 to a misdemeanor count of driving while intoxicated. He acknowledged to a judge that he was under the influence of painkillers when he was arrested near his home in an Indianapolis suburb. Irsay was taken to a hospital in December 2023 after reportedly being found unresponsive and breathing abnormally. Irsay has three daughters who could be in line to take over ownership of the Colts. 'Jim's generosity can be felt all over Indianapolis, the state of Indiana and the country,' the Colts said. 'He made philanthropy a daily endeavor. He never hesitated to help countless organizations and individuals live better lives. Music was one of Jim's passions and the ability to share his band and collection with millions of people across the world brought him tremendous joy. Simply put, he wanted to make the world a better place and that philosophy never wavered. Jim will be deeply missed by his family, the Colts organization, and fans everywhere, but we remain inspired by his caring and unique spirit.'
Fox News
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
NFL owners weigh player participation in flag football at Los Angeles Olympics
Several current NFL stars have expressed interest in competing in flag football in just over three years when the Summer Olympics return to the U.S. On Thursday, the league announced team owners will consider a resolution concerning whether active players can participate in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Last month, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said interest in competing in the Summer Olympics has been a hot topic in the league, adding a resolution on the issue may be forthcoming. "Well, I've heard directly from a lot of players who want to participate and represent their country, whether it's the United States or a country that they came from," Goodell said in April. "I think that's something that we'll continue to discuss with, not just the union, but also the clubs. I think both of those are things that we'll probably resolve sometime in the next 60 days." The resolution that will be considered permits one player from each NFL roster to compete in the 2028 Games. An exemption would be granted for each team's designated international player representing his home country. Injury protection and a salary cap credit for players injured while competing in the Olympics would also be instituted, according to the resolution. Agreements on standards for field surfaces would also be in place. Flag football will debut as an Olympic sport in 2028. The Los Angeles Olympics will introduce four other new sports — baseball/softball, cricket, lacrosse and squash. The 2028 Olympics are slated to begin in mid-July. The Games are not expected to overlap with NFL training camp schedules. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
New York Times
15-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
NFL players in Olympic flag football? League could vote as soon as next week
NFL owners will discuss a proposal at the spring league meeting in Minneapolis next week that would allow players to try out for flag football teams at the 2028 Olympic Games. If the proposal proceeds to a vote, then 24 of 32 votes will be required for it to pass. The proposal would only allow one player on each NFL roster to try out for an Olympic team. Additionally, each team's player added via the International Player Pathway program would be eligible to try out. Advertisement Any flag football team that includes an NFL player would also be required to 'implement certain minimum standards for medical staff and field surfaces.' The team would also need to alter its schedule for practices, games and events to ensure that there's no conflict with players' commitments to their NFL teams. At last month's annual league meeting, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell expressed optimism that a resolution would soon come when asked about NFL players potentially participating in flag football at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. 'I've heard directly from a lot of players who want to participate and represent their country, whether it's the United States or the country that they came from, to have them participate in that,' Goodell said. 'And I think that's something that we'll continue the discussions with, not just the union, but also the clubs. I think both of those are things that we will probably resolve sometime in the next 60 days.' The NFL has greatly increased its investment in flag football in recent years. Each club has a local flag football program through the league-run program NFL FLAG, which promotes the sport nationwide and had a commercial air during the Super Bowl in February. Flag football is a sanctioned varsity high school sport in 15 states. It has also become a collegiate sport at the NAIA, NJCAA and the NCAA Division I, II and III levels. The NFL has even discussed creating professional flag football leagues for men and women. The league is hopeful that could lead to the growth of football both domestically and internationally. 'We are very excited about the potential of that, not just for young women and a professional league, but also for young men and to give them the ability to play this game,' Goodell said. 'It works for us internationally, but it gives people a chance to understand this game, and particularly the young women, the feedback I get from them is how helpful it is to them in building their self-confidence, and to be able to play this game is a joy for them. Advertisement 'And so for us to share that, I think, is a positive thing, whether it's as a future Olympian or a high school player or a young youth athlete. I think those are things we're seeking to do. It's clear that there's a lot of interest in the pro flag league. We have been getting bids on people who want to invest in that, either financially or invest in the operations of that, so we're hard at work, and I expect there'll be progress soon.' The introduction of flag football in a five-on-five format at the 2028 Olympics will provide the sport with its largest platform yet. Clearly, the NFL wants to be involved. Scott Hallenbeck, USA Football's CEO and executive director, told The Athletic in a statement that USA Football has been in 'regular communication' with the league about NFL players potentially being eligible to participate in the Olympics. 'If participation is approved, we stand ready to provide opportunities for NFL players to be part of Team USA and compete alongside established flag football stars and talent-transfer athletes from other sports,' Hallenbeck said. 'We will field the best team possible in pursuit of our ultimate goal of earning two gold medals for the United States in flag football.' At the spring league meeting, NFL owners will also discuss a proposal to ban the 'tush push' play that the Philadelphia Eagles have become known for. Goodell said the proposal could also be expanded to consider other plays. 'We have very little data from it, but it's beyond data,' Goodell said. 'There's also the mechanism of injury that we study, that type of thing that leads us to show the risk involved with a particular player or particular tackle. So those are things that we did discuss. I do think there's a lot of discussion about going back to the previous rule, back to pre-2004. Advertisement 'It's a dispute about how long that rule was in play, but the reality of it is, I think that makes a lot of sense in many ways because I think it expands it beyond just that single play. There are a lot of plays where you see someone pulling or pushing somebody that are not in the tush push formation that I think do have an increased risk of injury. And so, I think the committee will look at that and come back in May with some proposals.' Before 2004, it was illegal for there to be any pushing or pulling anywhere on the field. Goodell noted it's possible the league could return to that. There will also be continued discussion about a proposal to change playoff seeding based on teams' records rather than divisional winners. At this point, there's no expectation for there to be a formal discussion about adding a potential 18th regular-season game. (Photo of flag football at the 2025 NFL Pro Bowl Games: Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images)
