Topline
Indianapolis Colts Owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon is under fire for an unusual team management approach in which the billionaire dons a game-day headset, studies play-call sheets and asks questions of coaching staff during games—a hands-on strategy that prominent sports podcaster Bill Simmons this week called “f—ing nuts.”
Indianapolis Colts Owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon on the sideline of the Sept. 13, 2026 game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Getty Images
Key Facts
Irsay-Gordon, who took over as principal owner of the Colts from her late father before the 2025 season, has taken increasing heat recently for what some are calling micromanaging of her coaching staff and Colts players.
She has been spotted at games against the Kansas City Chiefs and Washington Commanders wearing a coach’s headset, holding a laminated play-call sheet, taking handwritten notes and questioning coaching staff members.
Irsay-Gordon, who was first slammed for her sideline presence last season, has said she’s not on the sidelines to micromanage but to learn, a move that has ruffled the feathers of veteran NFL analysts and fans who’ve traditionally viewed over-involved ownership as a team’s deathknell.
CRUCIAL QUOTE
“I would suggest it for anyone else that has to pay coaches and GMs millions and millions of dollars,” Irsay-Gordon said. “It helps you make a less expensive mistake, potentially.”
CHIEF CRITICS
Simmons, on the most recent episode of his podcast, said, “I think the owner on the sidelines taking notes is f—ing nuts… I can’t believe she does this, and I can’t believe people in her life haven’t talked her out of it.” Ed Werder, a veteran NFL reporter, said it’s a team owner’s job to run it as business, not interfere on the field, and said any other owner would face immense backlash for doing what she’s doing. “I would criticize any owner for it,” Werder said. Ryen Russillo, a Barstool Sports personality, called her behavior “performative” and said, “I want to know what these notes are.” He also slammed people who’ve said the criticism against Irsay-Gordon is rooted in sexism: “(That) would be total bulls— because Boston made fun of Robert Kraft forever because he brought a stopwatch to a workout.” Russillo was referring to a scandal early in Kraft’s ownership of the New England Patriots in which he famously clicked a stopwatch and evaluated a draft prospect’s skills as a cornerback in 1998. He was slammed for his “heavy hand” ownership approach, but has since been hailed one of the best owners in the league. Simmons insinuated Irsay-Gordon is actually facing less backlash than any other owner would: “Even Jerry Jones wouldn’t do that! And Irsay’s daughter is doing it, and we’re like, ‘Oh, yeah, well, you know, she cares about the team,’” Simmons said. “Why are we making excuses for how weird this is?” NFL quarterback consultant Quincy Avery said he understands she’s very involved with the team but that her presence on the sidelines seems “very performative” and also called it “weird.”
CONTRA
Some on social media have praised her for trying to learn as much as she can and for taking a hands-on approach. “If I owned a team I would do exactly this. It’s my team! I own it!” one sports account wrote. “if you owned a restaurant, would you want to look at recipes and watch the cooks up close?” The popular X account Chargers Memes wrote, “If you don’t think I’d be doing the same s— if I owned the #Chargers. I mean, how many of us WOULDN’T have walked up to Mike McDaniel and (ask) him why were running pre-snap motions out of the shotgun on 3rd and inches if we had the ability to?” Other people have called her “one of the coolest owners in all of sports” and a “badass.” Head coach Shane Steichen has never begrudged Irsay-Gordon’s presence and said, “When you talk football with her, she gets it. She understands it.”
Key background
An owner seen as meddling with their team has long been viewed as a bad thing in professional sports. When owners blur the line between their role and that of coaches and managers, they’re often slammed for undermining the football experts they paid millions to hire. The dynamic was famously captured in 1997, when Hall of Fame head coach Bill Parcells abruptly quit the New England Patriots because Kraft repeatedly overruled his personnel decisions and said, “If they want you to cook the dinner, at least they ought to let you shop for some of the groceries.” Daniel Snyder’s era of owning the Washington Commanders was largely considered a failure because he’d sit in on tactical meetings and override decisions, creating an environment where head coaches lacked final authority. Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, took over general manager duties for the team in 1989 and admits that his fulfilling both GM and owner roles has played a “big role” in the team’s 30-year Super Bowl drought. Former Raiders owner Al Davis built a winning legacy in Oakland, but his late-career insistence on micromanaging tactical details and personnel decisions left the Raiders struggling.
SURPRISING FACT
Some have said the New York Knicks basketball team was able to build its first championship squad in 53 years because its owner, James Dolan, was kept from meddling by his deep involvement in the construction and operation of the Sphere in Las Vegas. YouTube sports commentator Joon Lee said some in the Knicks C-suite believe Dolan was so distracted with the non-sports arm of his empire, his employees were able to build a culture they wouldn’t have been able to achieve with him looking over their shoulders.
FORBES VALUATION
Irsay-Gordon is worth an estimated $1.8 billion as of Monday. She’s the granddaughter of Robert Irsay, who acquired the then-Baltimore Colts in 1972, and the eldest daughter of Jim Irsay, who ran the team until his death in May 2025. She shares equity in the team with her sisters, Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson, but serves as the Colts’ principal owner and CEO.
Leave a comment