Colts owner Jim Irsay says he was arrested for being ‘rich, white billionaire,’ details fight with addiction

Almost a decade after his 2014 arrest for operating a vehicle while intoxicated, Colts owner Jim Irsay is claiming he was targeted for being “a rich, white billionaire,” telling HBO Sports he’s since overcome a longtime battle with addiction.

Irsay admitted to Andrea Kremer in a wide-ranging interview, which aired Tuesday, that he struggled with substance abuse for years following a career as a powerlifter. But he downplayed the notion that his arrest, which preceded a guilty plea and six-game NFL suspension, signified rock bottom.

“No, not really, because the arrest was wrong,” he said, per The Indianapolis Star. “I had just had hip surgery and had been in a car for 45 minutes, and what? They ask me to walk the line. Are you kidding me? I can barely walk at all.”

He reiterated that his surgery, not subsequent use of painkilling medication, was the reason he failed a sobriety test, and said he pleaded guilty to charges of driving while intoxicated “just to get it over with.” But his status also played into it, he argued.

“I am prejudiced against because I’m a rich, white billionaire,” he said. “If I’m just the average guy down the block, they’re not pulling me in, of course not. … I don’t care what it sounds like. It’s the truth. … The truth is the truth and I know the truth.”

Indiana’s Carmel Police Department responded to Irsay’s comments after the interview aired.

“We are very sorry to hear that comment about our officers and our department,” Lt. D.J. Schoeff told the Star. “We have a very professional agency consisting of officers that strive to protect our community with integrity and professionalism.”

Irsay added in his interview that he’s partaken in rehab for alcoholism and painkiller addiction at least 15 times but hasn’t consumed an alcoholic beverage since 2002. The Colts’ success during the Peyton Manning era apparently aided his recovery.