Former Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee called the death of team owner Jim Irsay “devastating” in a social media post when the shocking news came down.
Hundreds of mourners filled the pews at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church on Indianapolis’ northside to attend a memorial service for the Colts Owner.
Prior to the noon service, friends and family streamed into the church.
Ex-Colts Adam Vinatieri and Pat McAfee were there. Bruce Arians and politicians who negotiated with Irsay to provide for and keep his Colts in Indianapolis were also in attendance.
It was a two-hour service that went extremely well.
Pat McAfee, who played for the Colts between 2009 and 2016, paid tribute to Irsay following the service.
‘Rest easy, Big Man… Today was beautiful.. We celebrated the hell out of you,’ McAfee wrote alongside a picture showing a card and booklet from the service.
Pat McAfee Pays Heartbreaking Tribute to Jim Irsay After Colts Owner’s Death
Irsay’s remarkable journey ended at age 65. Pete Ward, Irsay’s longtime right-hand man, made the announcement in a statement, saying Irsay died peacefully in his sleep.
Irsay had held sole ownership of the Colts since 1997, a part of the franchise since the mid-1980s, and was along the ride for some of the team’s most historic moments in team history.
One of those close to Irsay, former Indianapolis kicker and media personality Pat McAfee, had nothing short of fond memories of him.
McAfee released a statement on his X account after the announcement of Irsay’s passing:
“Jim had friendships with a lot of his former players.. I was lucky to be one of them.
Playing for a team that Mr Irsay ran was an honor. He was funny, brilliant, unique, and somehow still wildly relatable for a man who became the sole owner of an NFL team at the age of 37.. and before that, hired as the youngest general manager in the history of the league as a 24 year old.
He battled his demons, as we all do, but God blessed Jim Irsay with an abundance of compassion.. he wanted to give back/help everybody and everything he saw or knew about… putting a list together of all of the causes/things/people that he’s given to would be an impossible task.. probably well over $100,000,000.. there was even a whale about to get an assist from Jim at one point.
The 1st time he and I really had an extended convo was at training camp after the lockout in 2011.. players and front office weren’t allowed to communicate with each other during the lockout, but Jim followed me on Twitter throughout the CBA negotiations.. his first day at training camp, immediately after the lockout ended, he drove his golf cart over to where I was and started firing off questions about Twitter.. He enjoyed the thought of being able to connect with Colts fans all over the world.. he appreciated the opportunity to be able to share some of his thoughts in his own way.. and he absolutely LOVED the idea of being able to give money/experiences/tickets/etc. away to people on Twitter.
He was a mogul who had a creative artist’s brain.. Everything he did he wanted to do in a big and imaginative way.. his Twitter Giveaways became just that.. he wanted them to be awesome… and they were. He was a Billionaire who yearned to share his wealth in fun ways.
Anybody that met him would say that he seemingly woke up everyday wanting to help people.. life got in the way sometimes but, anybody who actually knew him, loved him.
A true anomaly.
When I decided to retire.. he and I had a 2.5 hour conversation in his office. He was sitting at his desk.. hitting the s*** out of his vape .. and we talked about everything I was hoping to go do.
He tried to stop me for a few minutes.. even offered to renegotiate my contract.. and then once he realized my decision was made.. the convo turned into him trying to give me as much game as possible about running a business and maintaining authenticity. He gave me quotes and words to live by.. told me stories of mistakes he and others had made and he promised he would do anything he could to help me in my venture.
‘If for some reason this doesn’t work or you don’t want to do it anymore, you’ll always have a job here at the Colts. You are family.’
Since that day.. Jim has done everything he can to help me succeed.. He’d join our show anytime I asked, no matter where he was in the world.. He’d send me motivational messages when he heard I was going thru something.. he’d forward articles that he’d come across that he thought I should read.. He’d answer any question I had about decisions I had to make.. and he even offered up his connections if I wanted to ‘buy that lovely wife of yours something nice brother’
Jim was a real one.. and we will all miss the s*** out of him.
I send my positive prayers and vibes to his daughters, his grandkids, his loved ones, his staff, and everybody who has been working with Jim for the last 40 years.
Thank you for EVERYTHING big man.. You were a damn legend.
Rest Easy, brother.”
