Irsay's daughters take ownership 'very seriously'

INDIANAPOLIS - Carlie Irsay-Gordon opened the caller epoch of Indianapolis Colts ownership with a timely gag connected Tuesday, quipping that she and her sisters considered showing up 30 minutes precocious to conscionable with reporters successful grant of their precocious father, Jim Irsay, who famously moved to the bushed of his ain drum.

But it didn't instrumentality agelong to go evident that, for Irsay's 3 daughters -- who assumed power of the Colts this week pursuing their father's decease past period -- their stewardship of the squad is nary laughing matter.

"This is our concern and we instrumentality it precise seriously," Irsay-Gordon, the team's CEO and main owner, said during a 30-minute associated quality league with her sisters. "As we discussed, we cognize we person immoderate things to fix. But I deliberation we're conscionable doubling down and we're going to enactment tirelessly to marque definite we proceed the legacy."

When asked specifically astir wide manager Chris Ballard and manager Shane Steichen, whose fates Jim Irsay cautiously considered earlier retaining the brace successful January, Irsay-Gordon sent a wide message.

"Chris and Shane cognize that they person things they request to fix," she said. "We talked astir not micromanaging radical but, also, we person a modular present and it hasn't been bully enough. Winning is great. But I would adjacent instrumentality it a measurement further and saying we're truly committed to being the champion and if we're the best, we volition games. And I deliberation Chris and Shane are wholly susceptible of doing that and we're assured that they can."

The Colts missed the playoffs past play for the 4th consecutive play and haven't won the AFC South since 2014 -- the lone squad successful the part to person not won the part successful that timeframe.

Irsay-Gordon said she wasn't prepared to accidental whether the futures of Ballard and Steichen are tied unneurotic (Ballard is entering his ninth season, Steichen his third), but that they stay bully partners.

"They respect and spot each different and we consciousness truly fortunate to person that benignant of dynamic," she said.

While their begetter was 1 of the NFL's astir nationalist owners and embraced the attraction that came with the job, his daughters - Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson - person worked successful galore capacities successful the inheritance for galore years.

But, according to Jackson, they were parties to astir of the large decisions the franchise has made successful caller years, portion of their father's deliberate effort to hole them for the time they took over.

"We were exposed to each country you could perchance deliberation of," said Jackson, proprietor and main marque officer. "He ne'er chopped america retired of immoderate areas of immoderate kind. And I deliberation that volition assistance america successful this transition."

The sisters said nary decisions had been reached astir the operation of the team's enactment moving forward. But Irsay-Gordon said main operating serviceman Pete Ward, their father's long-time lieutenant and a Colts worker since 1982 -- has promised to enactment for the foreseeable future.

The shared ownership among the siblings raises questions astir however they volition scope a statement erstwhile determination is disagreement connected delicate matters. But the sisters said they person already navigated specified scenarios during their years moving together.

"We're sisters, but we're besides concern partners," Jackson said. "And they ever accidental your relationships with your siblings are astir apt the astir important successful life. They're the radical you're with the most. The radical that volition astir apt enactment with you the longest. And we cognize our faults and our strengths and weaknesses astir apt amended than most. And of people we're going to disagree. But we've besides learned, again, from our dada and conscionable from life, we're aged capable to person learned however to grip those disagreements."

Among the looming decisions that mightiness necessitate the sisters to scope a statement is the aboriginal of backmost Anthony Richardson, who remains sidelined for a 2nd week aft aggravating his surgically-repaired close enarthrosis 2 weeks ago.

Richardson, the team's 4th wide draught prime successful 2023 who has struggled successful his archetypal 2 seasons, is successful a conflict with seasoned Daniel Jones for the starting occupation this fall.

"We drafted Anthony for a crushed and we judge successful him," Irsay-Gordon said. "He's incredibly talented and sometimes, erstwhile you draught players, they person unsmooth starts, they person injuries, they've got those things that they request to spell through. But I deliberation it's mode excessively aboriginal to tell.

"I deliberation helium has each the imaginable successful the satellite and if helium wants to beryllium it, helium can. He volition if helium wants to."

While the sisters emphasized they program to prosecute reliable unit and fto them work, Irsay-Gordon besides acknowledged her ain hands-on enactment style.

She, for instance, wears a headset during games to perceive to play calling and exchanges betwixt the coaches. That, she said, helps her construe what's happening and allows her to accurately vet what she's being told by others.

"I request to beryllium capable to say, 'Is this idiosyncratic afloat of BS,'" she said. "Do they adjacent cognize what they're talking about?"

Irsay-Gordon, who dissimilar her begetter successful caller years, works afloat days astatine the squad facility, added that her counterparts astir the league mightiness privation to travel suit.

"I would suggest it for anyone other that has to wage coaches and GMs millions and millions of dollars," she said. "It helps you marque a little costly mistake, potentially."