PAT McAfee has released an emotional statement after Jim Irsay’s death.
The Indianapolis Colts owner died at 65 years old.
Pat McAfee was drafted by Irsay with the 222nd overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.
He spent his entire eight-year NFL career with the Colts, and has remained a constant presence around Indianapolis ever since.
McAfee described playing for Irsay as “an honor.”
“This is devastating,” he wrote.
“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.”
McAfee explained how Irsay supported his transition away from football into sports media after her decided to retire.
“When I decided to retire… he and I had a 2.5 hour conversation in his office,” he said.
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.”
McAfee shared a ton of love for Irsay throughout his long message on X.
He explained how often Irsay would join his show, give advice about business, or leverage connections to help McAfee.
“Jim was a real one.. and we will all miss the s*** out of him,” McAfee wrote.
NFL important dates 2025 season
March 12 - Free Agency begins
April 24-26 – NFL Draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin
September 4 – 2025 season opener (TBC vs Eagles)
November 27 – Thanksgiving Day triple header
January 4, 2026 – End of regular-season
February 8, 2026 – Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California
“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.”
Irsay took over the Colts in 1997 at just 37 years old. He became the NFL’s youngest owner at the time.
His tenure saw the Colts go to the playoffs 16 times, win two AFC Championships, and win one Super Bowl.
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