Colts owner Jim Irsay says his 2014 arrest for driving under the influence was a result of prejudice against him for being white and rich.
“I am prejudiced against because I’m a rich, white billionaire,” Irsay told Andrea Kremer on Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. “If I’m just the average guy down the block, they’re not pulling me in, of course not.”
Asked by Kremer how he thinks it sounds for a white billionaire to claim that he’s a victim of prejudice, Irsay stood by his comment.
“I don’t care what it sounds like. It’s the truth,” Irsay said. “You know, Andrea, I could give a damn what people think how anything sounds or sounds like. The truth is the truth and I know the truth.”
Irsay pleaded guilty to operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a misdemeanor. Asked why he pleaded guilty if he had been profiled, Irsay said he just wanted to get it over with. Irsay claims that when he was asked to take a field sobriety test and looked unsteady walking, it was because he had just had hip surgery. He has admitted he had prescription painkillers and a sedative in his system at the time. He has not explained why, as a billionaire, he didn’t hire someone to drive him when he was unsteady after surgery.
The Police Department in Carmel, Indiana, told the Indianapolis Star, “We are very sorry to hear that comment about our officers and our department. We have a very professional agency consisting of officers that strive to protect our community with integrity and professionalism.”
The 64-year-old Irsay also told Kremer he has gone to rehab for addiction 15 times and that he once nearly died of an overdose.
