Jim Irsay dies at 65, Colts owner's cause of death unknown 

The Indianapolis Colts announced on Wednesday that their owner, Jim Irsay, passed away peacefully in his sleep. Irsay, 65, was the son of businessman Robert Irsay, who acquired the Baltimore Colts and later moved the franchise to Indianapolis.

Irsay worked as their vice president and general manager before becoming their official owner following his dad's death. In recent years, his health deteriorated and he was seen moving with a wheelchair during many Colts games.

He led Indianapolis to its first-ever Super Bowl win, defeating the Chicago Bears in 2007.

“Jim will be deeply missed by his family, the Colts organization, and fans everywhere, but we remain inspired by his caring and unique spirit,” the team said in a statement.

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Plenty of former players shared heartfelt messages, including wide receiver T.Y. Hilton and center Ryan Kelly. There was also an array of messages from fellow owners of NFL franchises.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell releases statement on the death of Colts owner Jim Irsay

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell also paid tribute to Irsay.

"We were deeply saddened to learn of Jim Irsay's passing today," he said in a statement. "Jim was a friend, and a man deeply committed to his family, the game, the Colts, and the Indianapolis community."

Irsay was hospitalized in 2023 after being found unresponsive in his bedroom. The Colts released a statement clarifying that it was due to a respiratory illness after police initially suspected an overdose.

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Henrique Bulio

Henrique Bulio is an NFL and College Football journalist at Sportskeeda and the Editor-in-Chief of Pro Football Brasil. He has a total 13 years of experience working in American Football, and playing quarterback at an amateur level in Brazil has given him a unique perspective of the game.

Henrique follows the Philadelphia Eagles closely due to Michael Vick's historic performance on MNF against the Washington Commanders in 2010. His all-time favorite player is Ed Reed; he believes that Reed is the greatest safety to ever play the game. Bill Belichick gets the nod as Henrique's favorite coach for coaching the Patriots to glory over two decades.

If Henrique were to be able to go back in time and watch one game, it would be Super Bowl XLIX, where the Patriots and the Seahawks played a complete, back-and-forth game that concluded with one of the biggest talking points in NFL history.

Technical deep dives are Henrique’s specialty, and he ensures never to use misleading words in his articles, since he himself consumes a lot of information off the web. He has had the privilege of interviewing Cairo Santos, Lamar Jackson, Jim Harbaugh, Sean McDermott, Bruce Arians, Matt LaFleur, among others.

Aside from football, Henrique likes to play poker and Counter-Strike.

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