Irsay died in May. He was 65 years old.
The FBI is investigating Jim Irsay's death and the recovery doctor who provided the former Indianapolis Colts owner with prescription pain pills and ketamine near the end of his life, The Washington Post reported Thursday.
In August, a bit more than three months after Irsay died at 65, The Post reported that Irsay secretly relapsed after publicly discussing overcoming his addiction to pain pills, and that it found evidence that he suffered three overdoses in the final five years of his life.
The FBI is notably seeking records and information regarding Irsay's "substance (illegal and prescription) use" and "his relationship with Dr. Harry Haroutunian," according to The Post, which cited a federal grand jury subpoena issued earlier this month in its Thursday report.
Haroutunian is a well-known addiction specialist who is based in California and who treated Irsay in his later years.
Irsay died while vacationing at California's Beverly Hills Hotel in May. At the time, Haroutunian was also staying there while providing Irsay care. Haroutunian signed the death certificate, classifying the cause of death as "cardiac arrest due to pneumonia and heart issues," The Post reported.
Because the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner didn't consider Irsay's death sudden, violent or unexpected, it didn't conduct an autopsy. Soon after, the Beverly Hills Police Department closed its investigation into the death.
Federal agents visited Indianapolis for several days this month, The Post reported Thursday, citing "two people with knowledge of the investigation." While there, the agents reportedly interviewed multiple people who were close to Irsay late in his life.
In December 2023, Haroutunian prescribed Irsay more than 200 opioid pills leading up to a two-week span that featured two overdoses, according to The Post, which also reported that Haroutunian eventually added ketamine injections to Irsay's treatment.
"I dedicated 18 months of my life to try to care for him … as a brother," Haroutunian told The Post this summer. "We did everything we could to make him as comfortable as possible."
In a 2012 interview with ESPN, Irsay talked about his sobriety and the lifelong battle that comes with recovery. Two years later, though, Irsay was charged with DWI and four felony counts of possession after he was seen stopping in the middle of the road in the Indianapolis suburb of Carmel before failing several sobriety tests. Following the incident, he was suspended and fined by the NFL.
In the subsequent years, Irsay launched Kicking the Stigma, a nonprofit initiative targeting mental health issues, including substance abuse disorders.
But in December 2023, Irsay was hospitalized after he was found unconscious in his home outside of Indianapolis. He denied that an overdose was the cause of the incident. The Post, however, reported that it was indeed an overdose and that another followed at a hotel outside of Miami 12 days later.
Following Irsay's death, all three of his daughters — Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson — gained ownership of the franchise, with Irsay-Gordon serving as CEO and principal owner.
Irsay had held those roles since 1997, following the death of his father, Robert Irsay. The Colts inducted Jim into their Ring of Honor this season.
During Jim Irsay's 28 years running the franchise, the Colts won 10 division titles and reached the postseason 16 times, making two trips to the Super Bowl along the way. They won it all in the 2006 season.
Category: General Sports
