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Pat McAfee Reacts To Death Of Colts Owner Jim Irsay

Originally posted on The Spun | By Chris Rosvoglou | Last updated May 22, 2025 10:11 AM ET

The NFL community learned Wednesday night that Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay passed away. He was 65 years old.

Irsay was the vice president of the Colts for over a decade before becoming the owner in 1997. The franchise won a Super Bowl in 2007 under his leadership. Although there were rough patches during his time in Indianapolis, the reality is he worked with Hall of Fame coaches, players and executives.

The Colts announced that Irsay "passed away peacefully in his sleep" on Wednesday afternoon.

"Jim’s dedication and passion for the Indianapolis Colts in addition to his generosity, commitment to the community, and most importantly, his love for his family were unsurpassed," Colts COO Pete Ward said in a statement. "Our deepest sympathies go to his daughters, Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt, Kalen Jackson, and his entire family as we grieve with them."

After this news became public, former Colts punter Pat McAfee posted a heartfelt tribute to Irsay on social media.

"This is devastating.. Jim had friendships with a lot of his former players.. I was lucky to be one of them," McAfee wrote. "Playing for a team that Mr Irsay ran was an honor. He was funny, brilliant, unique, and somehow still wildly relatable for a man who became the sole owner of an NFL team at the age of 37.. and before that, hired as the youngest general manager in the history of the league as a 24 year old."

McAfee also gave Irsay credit for constantly offering help to those who need it.

"He was a mogul who had a creative artist’s brain.. Everything he did he wanted to do in a big and imaginative way.. his Twitter Giveaways became just that.. he wanted them to be awesome... and they were. He was a Billionaire who yearned to share his wealth in fun ways," McAfee continued. "Anybody that met him would say that he seemingly woke up everyday wanting to help people.. life got in the way sometimes but, anybody who actually knew him, loved him. A true anomaly."

NFL fans have offered their condolences to McAfee, who's clearly devastated by this loss.

McAfee will most likely share more beautiful words about Irsay during his ESPN show Thursday.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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