Jim Irsay was arrested on Sunday morning and charged with driving while under the influence and felony possession of prescription drugs. Those who are close to the Indianapolis Colts owner do not seem surprised, as many of them have supposedly been waiting for Irsay to hit rock bottom.
The Indianapolis Star’s Bob Kravitz, one of the most connected Colts reporters in the country, spoke to Irsay’s friends on Monday. He was told about the 54-year-old’s alleged drug addiction.
“He’s a sick, sick man,” one source reportedly told Kravitz. “He desperately needs help.”
The Colts have apparently been trying to get Irsay, who admitted he was addicted to painkillers in 2002, into rehab for years. At the very least, the organization reportedly pled with Irsay to hire a driver and stop getting behind the wheel.
Irsay weighs about 165 pounds at the moment, which is down from his old weight of 235. When Kravitz asked him about the weight loss two months ago, Irsay said he was taking his doctor’s advice to lose weight and keep the strain off his troublesome back and hip. That story is now much harder to believe.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter also reported on Monday that Irsay’s behavior has raised concerns with those connected to the Colts.
“There are people around the Colts organization who have been suspicious about some of his behavior,” Schefter said, via Pro Football Talk.
If Kravitz’s sources are being truthful, “suspicious” could only begin to subscribe it. We have spent plenty of time making fun of Irsay for his entertaining Twitter rants and some of the photos he posts, but suddenly they’re not quite as humorous.
