Indianapolis Colts Owner Jim Irsay Was Found 'Unresponsive' in December After Apparent Overdose: Reports
Irsay, 64, has been open about addiction over the years and donated more than $25 million through his charity
Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay was found unconscious and cold to the touch at his home last December when he was hospitalized for an apparent drug overdose, according to reports.
Irsay, 64, was struggling to breathe when he was taken to the hospital last month, according to reports from ESPN and TMZ.
A responding officer wrote in a police report that Irsay’s pulse was “weak and slow,” according to ESPN. Irsay was given narcan, a drug that helps reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, and he "responded slightly,” according to a police report, the outlet says.
The Colts had said earlier this month that Irsay, who has owned the team since 1997 after serving 12 years as its general manager, had been hospitalized with a severe respiratory illness and that he “looks forward to returning to the stage as soon as possible.”
In a statement to PEOPLE Thursday, the team said, "Mr. Irsay continues to recover from his respiratory illness. We will have no further comment on his personal health, and we continue to ask that Jim and his family’s privacy be respected."
Officers on the scene did note in their police report that Irsay was prescribed for a number of unspecified medications, and the substance that was in his system at the time of the apparent overdose was redacted from the report, according to ESPN.
“At this time, it is unknown what Mr. Irsay had ingested prior to our arrival,” the police report read, according to TMZ, which reported the incident was officially classified as an “overdose.”
The outlet reported that officers were called to Irsay’s home after he was found unconscious on the bathroom floor exhibiting a blue skin tone.
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Irsay has been open about addiction over the years, telling HBO Sports in a November interview that he’s been to drug rehab “at least 15 times” and that one overdose nearly killed him.
“One time, I was trying to detox myself and I mixed multiple drugs that I didn’t know anything about and so all the sudden I started slurring my words and then, cold blue, I stopped breathing,” he said. “They revived me and the doctor goes, ‘Um, Jim, you are one lucky man. Because I signed, virtually, the death certificate.’ “
His family launched the Kicking the Stigma campaign in 2020 that has donated more than $25 million to mental health organizations, according to ESPN.
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