Stampede Blue
No ownership mandates were publicly made, but this appears to be a pivotal year for the Colts’ top brass—especially with the ownership transition now in place.
In their first press conference since transitioning into their new ownership roles with the Colts organization since their late father’s recent passing, the Irsay daughters: Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt, and Kalen Jackson shared some thoughts on the continued direction of the franchise—which is fully expected to remain within the ‘family business.’
Even though Jim Irsay sadly wasn’t alive to see it, it’s what he always wanted and envisioned, which was part of a bittersweet moment on Tuesday afternoon for the Irsay Family—as it finally came to fruition with his three daughters, who have been ‘learning on the job’ for years now for this exact (and inevitable) moment in time.
While there were a lot of interesting tidbits, one in particular is that although there’s still firm belief that longtime general manager Chris Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen will turn the recent mediocrity of the franchise around, there was also clear public acknowledgment that the Colts’ once proud standard of winning hasn’t been met as of late (via ESPN’s Stephen Holder):
There wasn’t any sort of ‘make-or-break’ ownership mandate, but at the same time, one would have to realistically think that the Colts may have to secure a playoff berth—or any or all of Ballard, Steichen, and even 23-year-old quarterback Anthony Richardson could be safely moved on from next offseason—as the Irsay daughters swiftly clean house and bring in new leaders.
For what it’s worth, Irsay-Gordon issued an initial vote of confidence for Richardson, who’s currently resting a surgically repaired right throwing shoulder after recently experiencing soreness during the team’s OTAs—and has had a roller coaster ride to begin his pro career:
In general, the Irsay daughters appear to be more of a 3-headed ownership group than the singular ownership presence that their late father was for the majority of his lengthy tenure as the Colts team owner—although they were much more heavily involved in team decisions recently given his past health issues.
The succession plan has been in place for a while. It may have just come sooner than initially anticipated given their late father’s ‘gone-too-soon’ passing.
They will likely continue the same sort of graceful and kind stewardship for the city and state, but at the same time, I would anticipate a bit more calculation with their public comments and arguably a lot less of the eccentricities—including some of that ‘Willy Wonka’ persona that really made Jim Irsay so endearing to the every Colts fan.
However, they appear to be poised and ready to lead, it’ll just be in their own styles—which includes getting the Colts back to their once winning ways, first and foremost.
