Colts Owners Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson on Tuesday made their first public remarks since their father, late Colts Owner and CEO Jim Irsay, died peacefully in his sleep on May 21.
In a press conference at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center, Irsay-Gordon, Foyt and Jackson presented themselves to Colts fans as an aligned trio of owners, all who bring different strengths to the club. Most importantly, though, are two things: First, they will carry out their father's wish of keeping the Colts in the family; second, they will continue Irsay's legacy as a steward of the franchise in Indianapolis.
"To say that we love our dad and miss him terribly would be an understatement," Irsay-Gordon said. "We are so proud to continue our dad's legacy, beginning with carrying out his foremost wish, to keep the Colts in our family.
"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."
"We are going to take that seriously as a family, and we know we're going to try to live on his legacy in the best way that he has taught us, and what the Horseshoe represents is going to continue to be kind of what he taught from the very beginning," Foyt said. "So, we're grieving the death of our father, but as we process this transition, we feel energized and we want to continue his legacy in bringing home another Super Bowl for the city of Indianapolis."
"As my dad always said, he hated that word (owner)," Jackson said. "He loved the word steward, because that's really what we're doing. I think we all want to make sure that everyone knows that that is probably one of the biggest things we got from our dad, is that realization that this is an extremely amazing opportunity that we have and we do not take that for granted in any way, and that we feel blessed to be able to continue his legacy of being a steward both within the NFL but also in the Indianapolis community, in the world."
The Colts on Monday announced details of the transition of team ownership from Irsay to Irsay-Gordon, Foyt and Jackson. Irsay-Gordon will become the Colts' Owner and CEO, serving as the team's principal owner but sharing leadership duties with her two sisters. Foyt will become Owner and Executive Vice President, and Jackson will become Owner and Chief Brand Officer and President of the Indianapolis Colts Foundation.
Irsay-Gordon, Foyt and Jackson previously served in the role of Vice Chair/Owner for the last 14 seasons. But their education on what it takes to own an NFL team began well before they received those titles; all three were let in on conversations and deliberations from an early age by Irsay. And while Irsay-Gordon, Foyt and Jackson are among the youngest owners in the NFL, all three have decades of on-the-job experience in the ownership space.
"There will be no decision that we make that we will not hear his voice in the back of our head reminding us, 'When I'm not here, now you remember this,"' Jackson said. "I can't tell you how many conversations like that we had, and what a gift. I mean, that's not always common. He let us in on conversations at a very young age, and when I look back on it now I'm kind of surprised. But he trusted us, and he knew that we understood the seriousness of this job and the responsibility that we had, and I think we'll forever be grateful for that."
Irsay was intentional about preparing his daughters to continue the family's stewardship of the Colts – a franchise which has been in the Irsay family for over 50 years. Irsay's father, Robert, became the Colts' owner in 1972 when he executed an unprecedented trade of franchises – he purchased the Los Angeles Rams and traded ownership of the Rams to Carroll Rosenbloom, who was the founding owner of the then-Baltimore Colts.
"Growing up, my dad ingrained in us just how important the team was and just how to cherish and basically do everything you can to try to keep it," Foyt said. "And he did a great job trying to work hard, setting us up so that when he did pass one day – sooner than we thought – that we would be able to do that. We're so thankful for him because, as you know, a lot of families, things get ripped apart. I think he also ingrained in us, just as we've all been talking about since we were little, that this is what was so important to our family and keeping the team I think was so important to three of us together."
Irsay-Gordon will serve as the Colts' principal owner, but all three sisters will share leadership duties in their roles. Irsay-Gordon described decision-making process between her, Foyt and Jackson as "very collaborative," and emphasized the lifelong football education all three have received.
"We come from a family that didn't start a hedge fund or some other business and do this, especially the generation we're in," Irsay-Gordon said. "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 (we) continue the legacy."
The Colts, under Irsay's vision as Owner and CEO, totaled 10 division titles, two AFC championships and one Super Bowl trophy. The franchise won a then-NFL record 115 games in a decade (2000-2009) and cemented its place in Indianapolis; the success the Colts have had brought football to the forefront of the sports landscape in a state long defined by baseball and racing.
And for the Colts' new era of ownership, the goal is clear: "To entertain, inspire and unite by winning the right way, as we do in an organization and on the field and in our community," Irsay-Gordon said.
"You could look at it back to the 80s, when we came here, our dad was able to be a part of bringing football to this state, and what it has done is incredible," Jackson said. "And what a cool thing to see. I think that we hope to continue that legacy, in that sense, continue to be the people that are able to grow this amazing city.
"I always joke, I'm the only true born Hoosier out of our family, but we're all Hoosiers, and we love being here. We love the people, we love the city, and I really don't think there's anywhere else like it.
"And I think for me, I'll speak for myself, the pride that we feel, and probably came from my dad's pride of seeing the impact that you can make off the field because of the success that you have on the field is indescribable, and is something that his favorite saying, it fits all of these things about him, which is, 'Clean house, trust God and serve others.' I really think that in every element, that's why I love this job, is that anything we're doing, it feels like we're serving others, even the entertainment on the field. I know that it affects fans Monday morning. I know that their week could be ruined because we lost.
"Again, that feeling of big responsibility, it's also, what a beautiful thing that you get to be a part of. So, I think we hope to just continue what he did so well and showed us how working with so many different partners within the city too. I think that's one of the best things about Indianapolis is that we have some pretty incredible businesses and other sports teams who really know how to work together to get things done. I can't wait to continue to be a part of that."