Source: Michael Hickey / Getty
**INDIANAPOLIS –** The Colts ushered in a new era atop their organization on Tuesday afternoon, and it comes at a critical juncture on the football side of the building.
One day after announcing the expected transition in ownership, Colts Owners Carlie Irsay-Gordon (Owner & CEO), Kalen Jackson (Owner & Chief Brand Officer and President of the Indianapolis Colts Foundation) and Casey Foyt (Owner & Executive Vice President) met the media.
Irsay-Gordon is the “principal Owner”, as she has been in charge of the business side of the organization for the last decade or so.
Whether it’s seeing Irsay-Gordon’s near daily attendance at practice or her rocking a headset on game days, while observing from the sidelines, it’s clear Irsay-Gordon has taken a very concerted approach for this moment.
On Tuesday, the entire trio of Irsay daughters made it clear they will carry on their dad’s legacy, rooted in an unquestioned passion for The Horseshoe.
“We are so proud to continue our dad’s legacy, beginning with carrying out his foremost wish, to keep the Colts in our family,” Irsay-Gordon said in her opening remarks. “We want our fans to know that we’ve spent decades in our family business learning every aspect of our organization under our dad’s leadership. It was sometimes trial by fire, and I’m forever grateful for the invaluable experience that I’ve gained. It has prepared me and my sisters for moments like today.”
Under the longest playoff drought the Colts have experienced in 30 years, and without a home playoff game in more than a decade, Irsay-Gordon fully takes over with potential for some major decisions at the end of the 2025 season.
How does the oldest Irsay daughter view Chris Ballard and Shane Steichen?
“We are very confident,” Irsay-Gordon began. “Having said that, as my dad said before he passed, Chris (Ballard) and Shane (Steichen) know that they have things they need to fix. We talked about not micromanaging people but also, we have a standard here, and it hasn’t been good enough. Winning is great, but I would even take it a step further in saying we’re really committed to being the best. And if we’re the best, we will win games. I think Chris and Shane are totally capable of doing that, and we’re confident that they can.”
When pressed further on Tuesday if Ballard (going into Year 9) and Steichen (going into Year 3), are tied at the hip, Irsay-Gordon strayed away from offering a direct answer.
“I can’t answer that question right now,” she said. “I don’t know. I mean, I think that relationship is really important. I think that’s why in a lot of ways as I’ve been more involved on the football side in the last eight to 10 years. It’s like in a marital argument, right? It takes two to tango, and I think they have a great relationship. I can tell you we’ve had situations where we had that (GM/head coach) scenario, that wasn’t the case. They work really well together. They communicate really well together. They don’t always agree, but as Kalen (Jackson) was saying even among the three of us, they talk about it and they each have their areas that they focus on. I think they trust and respect each other. We feel very fortunate to have that kind of dynamic.”
Many have viewed Ballad and Steichen as not the only highly-invested Colts approaching a breaking point season.
**[Anthony Richardson is dealing with another right shoulder injury](https://1075thefan.com/584239/anthony-richardson-aggravates-shoulder-injury-will-to-miss-rest-of-spring/)** as he enters a massive third season.
Irsay-Gordon expresses optimism on the talented quarterback, but isn’t going to ignore the growth that must occur.
“We drafted Anthony (Richardson Sr.) for a reason, and we believe in him,” the new CEO said following the team’s first minicamp practice of 2025. “He’s incredibly talented. Sometimes when you draft players, they have rough starts, they have injuries, they’ve got those things that they need to go through. But I think it’s just way too early to tell. I know Chris (Ballard) and Shane (Steichen) – they’ll let us know as we go along. But I think he has all the potential in the world, and if he wants to prove it, he can, and he will if he wants to.”
In the last few years, Irsay-Gordon has seen the likes of Richardson and the Colts operate up close on Sundays.
There’s been no resorting to an Owner’s booth for Irsay-Gordon on game day.
She’s not hard to spot on the sidelines, donning a head set with pen and paper in hand.
On Tuesday, Irsay-Gordon anticipated she would be asked about her unique “owner on the sideline “game-day role.
“I learned in going through, even as back as when we hired Chuck Pagano, is that sort of accelerated my, ‘I need to learn more about this. I need to be able to say, is this person full of BS? Do they even know what they’re talking about?’” Irsay-Gordon said. “And I think one of the things that being on the headset has really helped me learn is to the question earlier, it’s such a complex organism of football team and how it operates and on game day, and you could say, ‘Oh, that person ran that route wrong.’ When you learn to find, ‘Oh, someone tagged the wrong wide receiver, and it wasn’t really the player’s fault – it was the person that called it.’ I think that’s been very valuable, because it also helps us be able to know where do we need to make tweaks? What resources do we need? What do we need to fix? So much of it comes down to just how we operate and how things work and the headsets – I would suggest it for anyone else that has to pay coaches and GMs millions and millions of dollars. It helps you make a less expensive mistake potentially.”
Given the state of 2025 Colts, it’s quite possible Irsay-Gordon will be making some gargantuan financial decisions in her first year as being the main decision maker of the franchise.
When new ownership takes over around the NFL, fan bases can sometimes be met with skepticism, especially if the purchase is viewed more in a hobby mindset.
That’s certainly not the case with this new Colts chapter.
“We come from a family that we didn’t start a hedge fund or some other business,” Irsay-Gordon explained. “This is our business, and we take it very seriously. As we discussed, we know we have some things to fix, but I think we’re just doubling down, and we’re going to work tirelessly to make sure you continue the legacy.”
CLOSE