Irsay, 54, said last October in one of his many Twitter conversations that he had not had a drink in 15 years. A month later, his wife of 33 years filed for divorce. In 2002, the Star reported, Irsay underwent treatment for an addiction to painkillers.
@JimIrsayFollow
Actually working,sorry naysayers..I don’t drink…haven’t in over 15 years..I know when your unhappy or jealous it’s easy to b mean-spirited
In addition to the seriousness of the issue, the arrest is an embarrassing one for the NFL, whose commissioner works for owners and frequently disciplines players for off-the-field problems and arrests by invoking the personal-conduct policy. How will Roger Goodell handle this matter, which involves one of the 32 owners who employ him? Will he wait to see how the Colts handle it first? The team released a statement Monday morning, saying:
“We are gathering information at this time regarding last night’s incident involving Jim Irsay. The team will issue additional statements when the facts are sorted and we are aware of the next steps to this process. Many fans have reached out to express their concern and we appreciate their support.”
SI_DougFarrar@SI_DougFarrarFollow
Goodell fined Lions president Tom Lewand $100k and suspended him 30 days (reduced to 21) after a DUI.