New Indianapolis Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon has become deeply involved with the day-to-day operations of the franchise.
Following the death of her father Jim Irsay in May, Irsay-Gordon took over the role of principal owner and CEO of the Colts. She co-owns the team with her sisters, Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson, who serve as the Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer.
But what makes Irsay-Gordon’s involvement unique is that she’s taken her responsibility seriously, sitting in meetings with a notebook and spending time on the sidelines with a headset on.
During the first two weeks of the 2025 NFL season, Irsay-Gordon has been seen wearing a headset on the sidelines in order to gain a better understanding of the play-calling and communication on both sides of the ball. It’s a move that she claims will help her do a better job of evaluating players, coaches, and front office staff as she fights to rebuild the Colts into a Super Bowl-caliber team.
Carlie Irsay-Gordon celebrating by herself after the Colts’ dramatic win.
She is not a distraction but a big reason why they are 2-0.
It’s extremely rare to see an owner care this much about their team.
The sideline queen 👏pic.twitter.com/JTu9mVFvRl
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 15, 2025
Carlie Irsay-Gordon Has Support From Both Players and Coaches
Irsay-Gordon is getting support for her hands-on approach from coaches and players alike.
Safety Cam Bynum recently appeared on the Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams to discuss Irsay-Gordon’s involvement. While she was on the sidelines with the headset on last year, it didn’t make the same kind of headlines, as she wasn’t the principal owner of the team.
“She’s in the weight room working out while we’re getting our lift in.”
Cam Bynum on Colts’ owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon@heykayadams | @Cambeezy_ @Colts pic.twitter.com/A6ioReidPx
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) September 10, 2025
Adams acknowledged that Irsay Gordon looked like a badass with the headset on and asked Bynum for his take on the situation.
“It’s the most involved I’ve seen with an owner,” Bynum said. “During OTAs, she was sitting in the defensive meeting with a notebook — same notebook that we’re writing in — writing the installs and asking me ‘What’s the coverage on this play?’”
“From my recall, she’s there in the building pretty much every single day. Seeing how involved that she is, she’s in the weight room working out while we’re getting our lift in. She’s up there doing her cardio.”
Earlier this offseason, head coach Shane Streichen also had rave reviews for Irsay-Gordon, telling reporters that the Colts’ new owner is doing a phenomenal job in her new role.
“As far as football, she’s around and she understands it,” head coach Shane Steichen said in May. “When you talk football with her, she gets it. She understands it. She goes over the defensive stuff, the offensive stuff. She’s been involved since I’ve been here from Day One, very hands on and she’s been tremendous. I think she’s going to do a phenomenal job.”
