Daughters in line for leadership roles following the passing of Colts' Jim Irsay

INDIANAPOLIS - It won't be business as usual.




It can't be, not after Jim Irsay passed away peacefully in his sleep Wednesday.




The 65-year-old had been the passionate, philanthropic leader of the Indianapolis Colts since assuming ownership from his late father, Robert, in 1997.




Jim Irsay had prepared for the enormous responsibility by working his way through the organization. From picking up jock straps as a gopher/ballboy during training camp in Golden, Colorado with the Baltimore Colts, to working in the ticket office and other areas, to becoming the NFL's youngest general manager at 24 when the Colts relocated to Indy in 1984 and finally to becoming the league's youngest owner at 37.

It's impossible for things to simply carry on as before.




But they must. The Indianapolis Colts are a multi-billion-dollar enterprise. The team is immersed in its offseason workout program. Training camp looms in late July. The season opener is Sept. 7.

Now, the daunting task of carrying on transfers to Irsay's daughters: Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Kalen Jackson and Casey Foyt. It will be a shared responsibility, but Irsay-Gordon has been more involved in the actual football operations over the past several years while Jackson has spearheaded many of the franchise's community outreach programs, including Kicking the Stigma, a program that targets mental health awareness.




No one should anticipate an announcement any time soon from inside the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center on how things will change following Irsay's passing.




Now is the time for grieving.




But at some point, some clarity is necessary.








There already has been an instance when Irsay was out of the leadership picture.




In 2014, Irsay-Gordon slipped into that role when her father was suspended by the NFL for six months following his arrest for driving while intoxicated. The incident also led to Irsay spending time in a rehab facility.




Irsay-Gordon leaned on her sisters as well as Irsay's trusted long-time confidant, chief operating officer Pete Ward, and then-general manager Ryan Grigson. More recently, she's assumed stronger supervision while her father dealt with health issues that limited his mobility and ability to spend as much time at the team headquarters.




Irsay-Gordon's immediate support staff again included her sisters, Ward and general manager Chris Ballard.




Irsay always had a hand in running the team - his team - but Irsay-Gordon was becoming more visible.

Often, she's represented the Colts at owners' meetings in her father's absence or at his side. During practices on West 56^th Street or at training camp in Westfield, she looked from close proximity to the drills, jotting down notes. She was easy to spot on game day at Lucas Oil Stadium near the Colts' bench, wearing a headset to monitor communications among coaches.




Like her father during those formative Baltimore years, Irsay-Gordon yearned to learn as much about the operation of the franchise - top to bottom - as possible.




During an extensive 2023 interview with FOX59/CBS4, Irsay touched on his relationship with his daughters and his commitment to making Indy his new home.




"Kalen was born in '87 on a sunny day in July in Indianapolis,'' he said. "It was home. Carlie was born in Dallas when I was still in school. Casey was born in Baltimore.




"My dad didn't move to Baltimore during those days, but he moved to Indy. He lived here and it was his home. He's buried here at Crown Hill Cemetery.




"We moved to in '98 to where I'm still at. I'll probably die here. It's my home. It's my family's home. I have plots at Crown Hill.''




Mechanisms were put in place in 2012 to enhance the daughters' roles within the organization. They were promoted to vice chair/owner.




As the Colts' media guide notes, they "represent the next generation of Colts ownership in Indianapolis.''




Irsay-Gordon, 44 and Irsay's eldest daughter, and her sisters represent the youngest owners in the NFL.




Like father, like daughters.




You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.





via: https://fox59.com/sports/colts/daughters-in-line-for-leadership-roles-following-the-passing-of-colts-jim-irsay/