Police records show that Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay came very close to dying from a drug overdose in December but a potential tragedy was averted by the swift effort of police and paramedics.
On Wednesday morning, after obtaining police documents TMZ Sports was the first to report that a serious and almost fatal incident occurred with the Colts owner on Dec. 8. Carmel Police Department records in Indiana show that officers responded to a call at his home at 4:30 AM after Irsay was found unresponsive on a bathroom floor.
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Records claim that the 64-year-old was having trouble breathing, had a weak pulse, constricted pupils, and a blue tint to his skin. Police attempted a sternum rub to try and improve his condition but that was unsuccessful. Authorities then administered a dose of Narcan — a drug usually used to revive people in overdose situations — and the Indianapolis Colts boss “responded slightly.”
Eventually, paramedics arrived on the scene and took “over lifesaving efforts,” according to the police report. Irsay was transported to a local hospital and, obviously, his condition was greatly improved. However, he has not been seen around the team in the weeks following the incident and the organization claimed earlier this month that “severe respiratory illness” was the cause of his recent absence from the Colts facilities.
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Police who arrived on the scene noted in their report that a caretaker gave them a list of the medications Irsay was taking but it was unclear what he specifically ingested that led to the scary incident. In their report, they classified the situation as an “overdose” and “overdose/poisoning.”
During an in-depth interview with HBO’s “Real Sports” earlier this year, the Colts owner spoke about his previous battles with alcohol and painkiller addiction and admitted he was lucky to be alive after the problem nearly “destroyed” his life.
Irsay has been the owner of the NFL franchise since taking over after his father, Robert, passed away in 1997.