Jim Irsay's daughters committed to carrying on father's legacy as Colts owners

INDIANAPOLIS - Past experiences were embraced and maximized, which bodes well for the present and future of the Indianapolis Colts.




The wisdom, commitment, football smarts, compassion for others and humor had passed seamlessly from father to daughters.




That much was clear within seconds of a Tuesday afternoon press conference involving the next era of Irsay ownership - the late Jim Irsay preferred "stewardship'' - of the Indianapolis Colts.




Kalen Jackson, Carlie Irsay-Gordon and Casey Foyt shared the spotlight, which figures to increase in intensity as each settles into her role within the franchise - the family business - following the May 21 passing of their father.




Irsay-Gordon, 44, set the tone for the 30-plus-minute get-to-know-them session.




Her father seldom was on time for press conferences. Jim Irsay lived in his own time zone.




"In honor of my dad,'' Irsay-Gordon said with a growing smile, "we actually considered whether we should be 30 minutes late arriving at a press conference.




"And we thought, 'You know what? It's a new era.'''




Yes, it is.




But that new era has the same overriding objective as Jim Irsay's: Win, and at some point, bring another Super Bowl championship to Indy.




The Colts have failed to reach the playoffs in four consecutive seasons for the first time since 1988-94. That gnawed at Jim Irsay, and that frustration also was transferred to his daughters.




Even so, Irsay-Gordon insisted "we are very confident'' in the direction of the Colts behind general manager Chris Ballard and coach Shane Steichen.




"Having said that, as my dad said before he passed, Chris and Shane know that they have things they need to fix,'' she said. "We have a standard here, and it hasn't been good enough.




"Winning is great, but I would even take it a step further in saying we're really committed to being the best. And if we're the best, we will win games.




"I think Chris and Shane are totally capable of doing that, and we're confident they can.''




The new era has a foundation strengthened by Jim Irsay having exposed his daughters to every aspect of the family business at an early age. He allowed each to find her own niche within the franchise, and run with it.




"We are so proud to continue our dad's legacy, beginning with carrying out his foremost wish, to keep the Colts in our family,'' Irsay-Gordon said. "We want our fans to know that we've spent decades in our family business learning every aspect of our organization under our dad's leadership.




"It was sometimes trial by fire, and I'm forever grateful for the invaluable experience that I've gained. It has prepared me and my sisters for moments like this.''




Foyt described working alongside her dad and sisters over the past several decades as "priceless.''




"We've been around the NFL and the team a long time,'' she said. "We just know the value of our commitment to the team and to the City of Indianapolis is just as important as it was when he was there. 




"The Horseshoe basically represented so much to our dad . . . in fact, we all have the same Horseshoe tattoo, which my dad had as well. . . . we're going to try to live on his legacy in the best way that he has taught us from the very beginning.''




Jackson made it clear their father had a vision for his daughters' future.




"His biggest dream other than having a big family and having grandkids and being with us, was to see us do what we're doing right now,'' she said.




The hardest part of that?




Jim Irsay realized "he wouldn't be here to see'' the actual ownership/stewardship transition to his daughters.




"That makes today extremely bittersweet,'' insisted Jackson.




Jim Irsay's impact remains.




"I know that even though he's not here to see this day, he is here and he is seeing it, and he is literally ingrained in our hearts and in our minds,'' Jackson said. "And there will be no decision that we make that we will not hear his voice in the back of our head remining us, 'When I'm not here, now you remember this.'




"I can't tell you how many conversations like that we had, and what a gift. He let us in on conversations at a very young age, and when I look back on it now, I'm kind of surprised.




"But he trusted us and he knew that we understood the seriousness of this job and the responsibility that we had, and I think we'll forever be grateful for that.''




Growing up, the daughters listened and learned. It was impossible to do otherwise in a football household overseen by a father who was the NFL's youngest general manager, then the league's youngest owner.




A cornerstone of Irsay's ownership was to surround himself with the right people - general manager, head coach, front-office support - and allow them to do their jobs. Chief operating officer Pete Ward served as his right-hand man since the relocation in 1984, and that will continue.




"He's a huge asset,'' Jackson said.




"He's kind of been the defacto, proxy, whatever you want to call it, president,'' added Irsay-Gordon. "And he's told us he has no plans to retire, yet. He should talk to his wife about it.''




There were missteps along the way, but Jim Irsay's stewardship thrived when he brought in Bill Polian and Tony Dungy and allowed them to do their jobs. The result: an ultra-successful decade of the 2000s, two trips to the Super Bowl and the franchise's first world championship since the 1970 season.




"One of the biggest things that we all three have learned is that you hire the right people, you get out of the way, you trust them and you don't micromanage,'' Jackson said.




Previously, Irsay had the final say in every consequential aspect of the organization. It was his team.




Now, the stewardship is a shared venture.




The daughters are owners, with additional titles. Irsay-Gordon is CEO and will serve as the principal owner. Foyt is Executive Vice President while Jackson is Chief Brand Officer and President of the Indianapolis Colts Foundation.




There undoubtedly will be discussions, debate and disagreements at the highest level on significant issues moving forward.




They'll figure it out and come to a consensus.




"We're sisters,'' Jackson said, "but we're also business partners now. We're old enough to have learned how to handle those disagreements.''




About Anthony Richardson




Irsay-Gordon was asked about the support for quarterback Anthony Richardson. The Colts selected him with the No. 4 overall pick in 2023, but his career has been impeded by injuries and inconsistent play.




"Well, we drafted Anthony for a reason, and we believe in him,'' she said. "He's incredibly talented. Sometimes when you draft players, they have rough starts. They have injuries. They've got those things that they need to go through.




"But I think it's just way too early to tell. I know Chris and Shane, they'll let us know along the way. But I think he has all the potential is the world, and if he wants to prove it, he can, and he will if he wants to.''




Richardson missed three practices last week and will miss this week's mandatory minicamp after experiencing soreness in his surgically-repaired right shoulder.




You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.



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