Jim Irsay's Daughters Discuss Colts' Ownership Role After Father's Death

The three daughters of former Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay—Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson—spoke Tuesday about assuming ownership of the organization after their father's death in late May.

"This is our business and we take it very seriously," the team's CEO and principal owner, Irsay-Gordon, told reporters. "As we discussed, we know we have some things to fix. But I think we're just doubling down and we're going to work tirelessly to make sure we continue the legacy."

They also addressed the status of general manager Chris Ballard and coach Shane Steichen, who each were retained by the late Irsay after last season's 8-9 record, the fourth straight year the team failed to reach the playoffs.

"Chris and Shane know that they have things they need to fix," Irsay-Gordon said. "We talked about not micromanaging people but, also, we have a standard here and it hasn't been good enough. Winning is great. But I would even take it a step further and saying we're really committed to being the best and if we're the best, we will win games. And I think Chris and Shane are totally capable of doing that and we're confident that they can."

The Colts have been in the Irsay family since 1972, when Robert Irsay acquired the then-Baltimore Colts. He moved the organization to Indianapolis in 1984, and Jim Irsay took over as team owner in 1997.

His daughters have come up through the organization, much like their father did when he served as vice president and general manager between 1984-97.

"We were exposed to every area you could possibly think of," Jackson, the team's owner and chief brand officer, said. "He never cut us out of any areas of any kind. And I think that will help us in this transition."

The plan is for the sisters to remain joint owners of the team despite questions about how a three-headed decision-making group will operate from an ownership perspective.

"We're sisters, but we're also business partners," Jackson said. "And they always say your relationships with your siblings are probably the most important in life. They're the people you're with the most. The people that will most likely stay with you the longest. And we know our faults and our strengths and weaknesses probably better than most. And of course we're going to disagree. But we've also learned, again, from our dad and just from life, we're old enough to have learned how to handle those disagreements."