A Washington Post investigation into last year's death of NFL owner Jim Irsay finds that the 65-year-old suffered a secret relapse into drug addiction in the final years of his life. The allegation is notable because Irsay had made no secret of his problems with substance abuse and mental illness earlier in his life, so much so that he founded a charity called Kicking the Stigma to promote openness. Though the Indianapolis Colts owner was believed to have kicked his addiction, the Post story, based on interviews with five people, reports that he suffered three overdoses over the last five years of his life. One key paragraph from the piece:
- "This relapse, and his death, came as he was under the care of a 'luxury' recovery doctor prescribing Irsay opioids—and, eventually, ketamine—at amounts that worried people close to him, The Post found. This doctor signed Irsay's death certificate, stating the cause was cardiac arrest, and no autopsy or toxicology testing was performed."
The doctor, Harry Haroutunian, cited medical privacy laws and declined to offer details. "I dedicated 18 months of my life to try to care for him … as a brother," he said. "We did everything we could to make him as comfortable as possible." (The five who spoke to the Post say they did so because of concerns over the doctor's treatment.) Irsay's three daughters declined to be interviewed. "Our Dad was open about his battles with addiction and mental health. He never claimed to be perfect," the Colts co-owners wrote in a statement. "The media is not the place to address inquiries about information which is disputed, lacks essential context, or involves private medical matters." Read the full investigation.
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