Jim Irsay Bizarre 'Rich, White, Billionaire' Rant Includes Claims of Poverty and A 'Black Mother'
Over the years, the bizarre rants of Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay have often left onlookers dangling somewhere between "amused'' and "confused.''
But this week, Irsay - a most prominent figure in the AFC South, where the Houston Texans reside, and beyond - has taken his world view to a new level, first by insisting that his 2014 DUI arrest was the result of police bias against him "because I'm a rich, white billionaire,'' and now lashing out viciously after being criticized by an ESPN personality.
ESPN reporter Kimberley A. Martin used her “First Take'' platform to respond to Irsay’s comments on HBO.
“What’s frustrating is his comments, exemplify exactly what people think — NFL owners are detached,” she said. “Just a total lack of awareness of their privilege and the flippancy of how they discuss their privilege. He came off like he’s a victim. And that anyone who has had as many opportunities as he has had share just by virtue of his name, the family he was raised in, and the color of his skin — like it just bothered me on a lot of levels. ...
"He’s an entitled old brat,” Smith said.
Irsay fired back on Twitter, claiming he "grew up in a horrible home,'' called Martin "mean and ugly'' and "a nothing burger'' and then mentioned how upsetting Martin's remarks would be to "my Black Mother Dorthy.''
Again, much of that rant is confounding. The allegations that Irsay has dealt with drug and alcohol issues, true or not, are not new. The assertion that his grandparents came to America via Ellis Island "with just the shirt on their back, penniless and escaping Jewish concentration camps,'' is believed to be true. ... but his father, Robert, eventually became a millionaire who bought the Colts in 1972, when Jim was 12.
And his "mother'' was not Black; his reference to "Dorthy'' is apparently about a woman who worked with his family when he was growing up.
"I don't care what it sounds like," Irsay said about the "prejudice'' against him. "It's the truth. ... I could give a damn what people think how anything sounds or sounds like. The truth is the truth, and I know the truth."
