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Peyton Manning Had Profound Praise for Late Colts Owner Jim Irsay on 'ManningCast'
Late Colts owner Jim Irsay was inducted into the franchise's Ring of Honor at halftime of their season opener against the Dolphins Sunday.
Legendary quarterback Peyton Manning spoke at the event, where he gave Irsay praise for his consistent presence and love for the team he owned. Manning's praise continued Monday during ESPN's ManningCast during Monday Night Football between the Vikings and Bears.
"He was the kind of owner every player would want to play for," he said on ESPN Monday of Irsay, who passed away in May. "His office was at the practice facility, he was out there at practice everyday. In the locker room after every game. Home, away; win, loss. The answer was yes if it helped the Colts win.
"It was an honor to play for him, and great ceremony yesterday in Indianapolis putting Jim Irsay in the rightful place in the Colts' Ring of Honor."
Peyton Manning remembers the late Colts owner Jim Irsay, who was inducted into the Colts Hall of Fame on Sunday.
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 9, 2025
"We lost Jim in May, and Eli, he was the kind of owner every player would want to play for." pic.twitter.com/QvheJOT1lg
Manning followed up the tribute to Irsay with a great story about how they flew together from New York to Indianapolis after the Colts drafted him with the No. 1 pick in 1998. He said they watched the draft on Irsay's plane as they waited for Randy Moss to get drafted, as Manning hoped he'd fall to the Colts. That didn't come to fruition as the Vikings selected Moss at No. 21, but Manning said it was "the most unbelievable plane ride."
The Colts will continue to pay tribute to Irsay over the season with special jersey patches in his honor. The franchise's legendary quarterback clearly has plenty of fond memories with the longtime owner.
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Blake Silverman is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation's Detroit Bad Boys and A10Talk. He graduated from Michigan State University before receiving a master's in sports journalism from St. Bonaventure University. Outside of work, he's probably binging the latest Netflix documentary, at a yoga studio or enjoying everything Detroit sports. A lifelong Michigander, he lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, young son and their personal petting zoo of two cats and a dog.