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#pounditThursday, December 12, 2024

Jim Irsay threatens Stephen A. Smith with lawsuit

Jim Irsay at Colts practice

Sep 8, 2019; Carson, CA, USA; Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay on the field prior to the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay threatened ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith with legal action in a series of posts on social media Wednesday.

Irsay made headlines in a recent interview with HBO Sports, in which he claimed his 2014 arrest for driving while intoxicated was the product of being “prejudiced against because I’m a rich, white billionaire.”

ESPN’s “First Take” discussed the Irsay interview on Wednesday in largely critical terms, with Kimberley A. Martin saying the interview “bothered me on a lot of levels.” Smith went a step further, calling Irsay “an entitled old brat.”

That went down poorly with Irsay, who threatened “First Take” with legal action in a rambling series of social media posts.

“1st take, your (sic) gonna get your ass Sued,” Irsay wrote, asserting that no alcohol or illegal drugs were involved in the arrest. He also dismissed Martin as “mean and ugly” while adding “I don’t know your name and I don’t care to.”

Irsay appeared to take offense at “First Take” for suggesting that he was driving “drunk,” which he was not accused of at the time. Toxicology reports showed that Irsay had multiple painkillers in his system at the time of the arrest. He failed field sobriety tests, which in the HBO interview he blamed on a recent hip surgery.

Irsay’s 2014 arrest was widely reported on, and he ultimately pled guilty to a misdemeanor. He later served a six-game suspension imposed by commissioner Roger Goodell.

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