Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay recently opened up on the struggles of being a white billionaire in the United States.
While many Americans can only dream of the power and influence a man like Irsay has, after all, he owns one of the largest sports franchises in the Western World, Irsay thinks he’s a victim of resentment against a minority of people like him on the planet.
Irsay pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of operating a vehicle under the influence following his 2014 arrest for driving under the influence. Irsay spoke about the incident during his interview on HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.
Indianapolis Colts owner thinks he’s the victim
Per the interview transcription by Mike Freeman of USA Today, Irsay admitted on the show he only pleaded guilty to getting the affair over with. Irsay believes the arrest was wrong and thinks the charges only came to fruition because he’s a white billionaire:
“I am prejudiced against because I’m a rich, white billionaire,” Irsay told Kremer. “If I’m just the average guy down the block, they’re not pulling me in, of course not.”
Kremer then asked: “Do you know what it’s going to sound like if people hear you say they’re prejudiced against a rich, white guy?”
“I don’t care what it sounds like. It’s the truth,” he said. “You know, Andrea, I could give a damn what people think how anything sounds or sounds like. The truth is the truth and I know the truth.”
Those are pretty incredible statements coming from an NFL owner in 2023. The Colts endzone had the words “end racism” on it during the 2020 season. One would assume Irsay would know why that slogan was there and who police typically target unfairly.
But does Irsay care?
More must-reads: