22-05-2025
Jim Irsay transformed his battle with addiction to support others
INDIANAPOLIS — Colts owner Jim Irsay took his battle with addiction to the very end.
But Irsay was able to change the terms of the fight over the years, taking a fight that had been personal and transforming it into a public crusade, the centerpiece of his lengthy and legendary list of philanthropic efforts, both in the city of Indianapolis and on a national level.
Irsay, who died on Wednesday at the age of 65, saw an opportunity in his own story to change the culture's perception of addiction, culminating with the establishment of the Kicking the Stigma campaign in 2020.
'These are fatal diseases,' Irsay told IndyStar's Gregg Doyel in 2022. 'People get confused and they think, 'Well, he likes to party. Do some coke, do some shots, dance around.' It's nothing to do with that. This isn't partying. This is a downbound train in the dark.'
Irsay was remarkably open about his own addiction.
He saw the danger and destruction of the illness in his own life and those of his friends.
The alcoholism he battled into his early years as the team's owner. The painkillers that grabbed hold after a string of surgeries related to the football he played at SMU and his powerlifting career in the '80's.
Irsay was arrested in March of 2014 with prescription medication and $29,029 in cash, pled guilty to operating a vehicle while intoxicated and admitted to having hydrocodone, oxycodone and alprazolam in his system, a result Irsay attributed to recent hip surgery. The Colts owner has repeatedly said he's been to rehab at least 15 times, and he told HBO's 'Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel' in 2023 that he'd overdosed once.
'What it really comes down to is any fatal disease is difficult to deal with,' Irsay said. 'The tough issue here is that we as human beings are making it harder on other human beings that are suffering.'
Irsay responded by celebrating and supporting the institutions dedicated to fighting addiction, by talking about his own history of addiction publicly and finally by founding Kicking the Stigma, a movement dedicated to removing the barriers surrounding all mental illnesses, including addiction.
One of Irsay's prize possessions was the Big Book, a tract containing the doctrine that led to the foundation of Alcoholics Anonymous, an organization that helped Irsay overcome alcoholism. His interviews about his own battle with addiction stressed that addiction is an illness.
Ultimately, the foundation of Kicking the Stigma was the culmination of everything he'd done.
Kicking the Stigma is about all forms of mental illness, and the $31 million that has been committed to mental health awareness, organizations and research, along with $6.4 million in action grants distributed to mental health nonprofits, have targeted all forms of mental illness. The Colts have also championed and supported their players through a wide range of mental illness that has not included addiction.
But by using the example of his own life, Irsay always made sure that addiction was included, pointing out that addiction is often viewed as a demon, rather than an illness.
'People are afraid, they're scared, they're lonely, they're outgunned,' Irsay said. 'They need support in a big way.'
Irsay had been in their shoes.
