The Indianapolis Colts confirmed on Thursday the FBI is investigating the death of the franchise’s former owner, Jim Irsay.
“Irsay died in May at 65 from what was described as cardiac arrest,” ESPN stated.
The agency is looking into the potential involvement of a California doctor who reportedly provided Irsay with prescription pain medication and ketamine towards the end of his life.
𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚: The FBI is investigating the death of former Colts owner Jim Irsay and the doctor who was supplying him with huge amounts of opioids and ketamine injections.
That same doctor signed Irsay’s death certificate and ruled it as a “natural” cause of death.
What a… pic.twitter.com/fxlXxgCWTD
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 22, 2026
ESPN has more:
According to a story in The Washington Post, which first reported the news of the FBI probe, the FBI is seeking records and information about Irsay’s death, substance use and his relationship with Dr. Harry Haroutunian, a California addiction specialist. The Post cited a grand jury subpoena issued earlier this month in Los Angeles and stated that people close to Irsay had been contacted.
Irsay, who spent long stretches in California, died at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The Post has reported that Haroutunian was also staying at the hotel and treating Irsay before his passing.
Irsay spoke publicly about his experience with substance abuse, including multiple overdoses and one that nearly cost him his life. His three daughters — Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson — have assumed ownership of the Colts after his death.
The Colts said they are “aware” of the investigation, The New York Times noted.
From @TheAthletic: The Indianapolis Colts said that they are “aware” of an FBI investigation into the death of the team’s former longtime owner, Jim Irsay, last year. Federal investigators are examining Irsay’s drug use — “prescription” and illegal. https://t.co/L88hd3MaK1
— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 23, 2026
CBS Sports shared further info:
In August, The Washington Post published an extensive report citing multiple people maintaining that Irsay, who claimed to have defeated his addiction to pain meds, had not only relapsed, but overdosed multiple times in the last five years.
The Post acquired images of pill bottles that showed Haroutunian had prescribed Irsay more than 200 pills days before the Colts owner had two overdoses in less than two weeks back in 2023, including one episode that left him hospitalized for four months. According to multiple people who witnessed the injections, Haroutunian then added ketamine to Irsay’s treatment plan.
Irsay was one of the most recognizable owners in the NFL at the time of his death. He became the youngest general manager in NFL history at the age of 24 back in 1984, then became the youngest NFL owner at 37 when he took over the franchise following his father’s death in 1997. Under Irsay’s leadership, the Colts made 16 playoff appearances, took home two AFC titles and won Super Bowl XLI.