Former Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay reportedly relapsed and may have overdosed multiple times in the final years of his life, according to the Washington Post.
Both the Colts and Irsay — who was open about his struggles with alcohol and drug addiction — are accused by the Post of misleading the public about his relapse.
The Post reportedly found evidence of three possible overdoses by Irsay in the final five years of his life. One reportedly occurred in February of 2020. The two others reportedly occurred in December 2023, and were just 12 days apart.
Irsay's alleged 2020 overdose reportedly occurred when he was vacationing in Turks and Caicos. He reportedly spent multiple days in the hospital. The Colts did not publicly acknowledge the alleged overdose at the time.
Irsay's alleged first overdose in December 2023 occurred at his home in Indianapolis. A Colts executive reportedly called 911, and mentioned Irsay may have been dealing with heart failure. The executive reportedly did not mention pills or drug use in the call.
Days before his alleged second overdose in December 2023, Irsay reportedly fired one of his nurses who Irsay accused of hiding his pills. The nurse admitted to placing Irsay's pills in a lockbox because he was "taking his medication too frequently," the nurse told police.
That alleged overdose resulted in Irsay spending nearly four months in the hospital. At the time, the Colts claimed Irsay was dealing with a "severe respiratory illness." Irsay later said he was hospitalized due to back surgery.
A prominent figure in The Post's reporting is addiction specialist Harry Haroutunian, who treated Irsay in the final years of his life. The Post spoke to multiple individuals who alleged Haroutunian supplied Irsay with opioid pills and ketamine in the months before his death. The Post viewed images of pill bottles that reportedly showed Haroutunian prescribed Irsay more than 200 opioid pills just days before his two alleged overdoses in December 2023.
Haroutunian also allegedly began treating Irsay with ketamine during the final months of his life, multiple sources told The Post. Ketamine — an anesthetic — is "risky to administer to patients with substance abuse disorders and heart conditions," per The Post. In addition to his struggles with addition, Irsay also reportedly had a heart issue, sources told The Post.
When Irsay died in May, Haroutunian was reportedly staying with Irsay and overseeing his care. Haroutunian signed Irsay's death certificate, saying he died of "cardiac arrest due to pneumonia and heart issues," per The Post. Irsay was 65.
An autopsy and toxicology report were not performed, as Irsay's death was not viewed as "sudden, violent or unexpected," per The Post. Police who responded said they did not see evidence of an overdose or drug use. Haroutunian reportedly told officers Irsay's cause of death was natural.
Haroutunian confirmed he treated Irsay for over a year when contacted by The Post, but later declined comment.
“I dedicated 18 months of my life to try to care for him … as a brother,” he said. “We did everything we could to make him as comfortable as possible.”
Following Irsay's death, Colts ownership passed to all three of Irsay's daughters. When reached by The Post, they declined to be interviewed and asked for privacy.
Irsay publicly discussed his struggles with addiction multiple times. In 2012, he told ESPN had been sober for 10 years. Two years later, Irsay relapsed and was charged with DWI and four felony counts of possession after driving erratically. He was suspended and fined by the NFL following the incident.
Irsay reportedly continued to struggle with occasional relapses, which the Colts allegedly tried to keep from the public out of concern the NFL could push him to sell the team, per The Post.
But around the Colts’ front office, according to several former employees, it was common knowledge that Irsay periodically suffered relapses that team executives worked to keep from public disclosure, out of concern the league office or fellow NFL owners would ask him to step aside as chief executive or pressure him to sell the team.
The NFL declined to comment when reached by The Post.
Days after Irsay's death, the Colts announced the team would honor Irsay by wearing a black jersey patch featuring his initials during the 2025 NFL season.
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