Finally some resolution to the whole Irsay thing. Jim Irsay pleaded guilty today to his DUI charge. According to USA Today, for the next year, Irsay will be under probation, have his driver’s license revoked, and he’ll have to submit a drug test each month. From the report:
While on probation, Irsay is prohibited from consuming or possessing alcoholic beverages. He must also provide officials with current and valid prescriptions of all of his medication, the release states. Irsay must also attend a victim impact panel, and complete the rehabilitation program he has participated in since March 24.
Not long after, it was time for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to issue some official punitive action from the league. Irsay will be the first NFL owner suspended since the 49ers’ Eddie DeBartolo Jr.’s year-long suspension over a felony-extortion-casino mess fifteen years ago (while San Francisco was in the middle of a Super Bowl bid).
Irsay’s suspension will be for six games (keep in mind his crime was a misdemeanor, unlike DeBartolo’s) and will begin tomorrow (September 3) at 5:00 p.m. and will conclude after the Colts’ Week 6 home game against Houston (October 9).
Irsay will also pay a league-maximum $500,000 fine. He’ll have to stay away from the 56th Street complex and any owners’ meetings, as well as the obvious things like games, practices, and Colts community events such as Blue Fridays or autograph signings. He also cannot discuss the team on Twitter or in any type of interview.
Obviously, any penalty against the team itself would be an unfair move by the league, as Irsay’s actions quite obviously did not help the Colts in any way. This might seem silly to bring up, but there are people out there, though not likely Colts fans, who will ask why no draft picks or the like were taken away. There’s simply no sense in punishing the franchise for actions that had already done them nothing but harm (the arrest happened right after the initial free agency rush and during draft preparations, though the team had already made several moves).
Of course, the Colts released a statement from a contrite Mr. Irsay. Here it is in its entirety:
I acknowledge the mistake I made last March and stand responsible for the consequences of that mistake, for which I sincerely apologize to our community and to Colts fans everywhere. Even more importantly, though, I am committed to do everything in my power to turn this whole experience into a positive event for myself, my family, and the community. In retrospect, I now know that the incident opened my eyes to issues in my life that needed addressing and helped put me on the path to regain my health. I truly hope and pray that my episode will help in some small measure to diminish the stigma surrounding our country’s terrible and deadly problem of addiction. It is a disease like other progressive, terminal diseases—one that can only be successfully treated by understanding, committed hard work, and spiritual growth. I am deeply grateful for the tremendous outpouring of love and support during these past few months from my family, friends, care-givers, and our great community. Please know I am firmly committed to staying on my path to good health and I look forward to a great season.
Many people feel at some point as though they can manage an addiction on their own, often without completely letting go of their problem. All too often, it takes a major slip up (like an arrest or near death experience) to firmly implant the realization that they cannot do it on their own, and they can’t commit any less than 100% toward recovery (either quit, or the addiction remains in control). Irsay’s slip up happened to be a very high profile one, but now, hopefully, he is on the right track.
So, what do you think? Was the punishment fair, too much, too little, or are you just glad it’s over with? Feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments or on Twitter.