Jim Irsay arrested for DUI, possession of a controlled substance

At one point it appears the officer allows a shaky Irsay to sit on the hood of the police car for the sake of finishing the tests.

Irsay was pulled over in the late hours of March 16 in Carmel, Ind., for traveling 10 mph in a 35 mph zone. He was initially charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated and four counts of possession of a controlled substance after prescription drugs (as well as $29,000 in cash) were found in his car. Blood results later revealed oxycodone and/or hydrocodone in his blood at the time of the arrest.

The terms of his suspension bar Irsay from being at the club facility, attending practice or league functions and even being active on social media during the suspension. The suspension takes effect at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell reiterated the reach of the league’s personal conduct story in his letter to Irsay. Excerpted in the league’s official announcement:

Irsay said that he will take random drug tests through an agreement with the prosecutor’s office. Results will be shared with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who oversees discipline for players, league employees and others covered by the conduct policy.

The Colts owner declined to share the details of his conversations with Goodell since the arrest. He also declined to comment on a recent report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter citing league sources who believe that Irsay could be subjected to a $1 million fine and a six to eight game suspension.

Irsay was found to be operating a vehicle while intoxicated, and had possession of prescription drugs and $29,000 in cash when he was pulled over by police. Goodell and the NFL front office has yet to meter a punishment against the 17-year owner of the Colts, which Smith said indicated a “credibility gap,” adding: “What troubles our players is the speed and the deliberateness of the punishment that they have seen in the past when it comes to a player.”

Goodell disagreed. He iterated that the NFL will not make a determination on Irsay until it feels it has gathered all of the pertinent facts.

Irsay, who has been gradually worked back into the day-to-day operations of the Colts, will make a pitch at the NFL Spring Meeting on Tuesday for Indianapolis to be the host site for the Super Bowl in 2018. The city’s primary competition will be New Orleans and Minneapolis.

“We’re the best city, and we have the numbers to back that up,” Irsay said, according to the Indianapolis Star.

According to a report by the Indianapolis Star, some sports law and ethics experts believe the severity of Irsay’s potential punishment could be affected by his long history of drug abuse and questionable personal connections.

The league’s Personal Conduct Policy, which Goodell introduced in 2006, grants the commissioner significant freedom in disciplining league employees. “It is not enough simply to avoid being found guilty of a crime,” the policy says. “Instead, as an employee of the NFL or a member club, you are held to a higher standard.”