Colts owner Jim Irsay appeared at his team’s training camp practice Sunday, marking his first public outing since a suspected overdose at his Indiana home in December, according to ESPN.
Irsay, 65, has denied the overdosing suggestion used in the police report, and is still working his way back from what Fox59 previously described as a “major” surgery for a back/leg issue.
“It’s frustrating because the left leg just doesn’t have the push off yet that I need,” Irsay said, per ESPN. “I can stand up and those sort of things, but in terms of walking and that sort of thing, it’s hard to say exactly how far I am away from that. But it’s not far. God knows I’ve been working hard just to bring myself back.”
While Irsay had not been seen for these past eight months, he’s been in the headlines quite a bit since the revelation of his shocking hospitalization in December.
The Colts announced in early January that Irsay was being treated for a “severe respiratory illness” that forced him to miss his band’s show in Los Angeles.
Irsay had not been seen in public for weeks at that time, per ESPN.
A little more than a week later, a new report detailed how Irsay was found unresponsive and gasping for air at his Carmel, Indiana, home at 4:30 a.m. ET on Dec. 8, and police classified the incident as an “overdose” and “overdose/poisoning.”
Police used one dose of naloxone, which can be used to aid individuals who have overdosed on opiates, which allowed Irsay to respond “slightly,” per the police report obtained by TMZ.
Paramedics then transported Irsay to the hospital.
“At this time, it is unknown what Mr. Irsay had ingested prior to our arrival,” the police report stated.
Irsay has since denied that he overdosed, calling it “unfortunate” that the terminology was applied.
“It wasn’t an overdose,’’ Irsay told Fox59 in April. “I don’t know why when you have your name in the paper in the past, people throw that out there quickly. I don’t pay attention to it all that much, but I don’t think it’s fair.’’
He added that he was actually dealing with a leg injury and Fox59 said he developed a “serious hematoma.”
“It’s unfortunate because they really don’t have the information in that speed of time when you’re checking (someone) into the hospital and it’s an overdose or it’s this or that,’’ Irsay told the outlet. “It wasn’t an overdose. The bottom line was the leg needed to be taken care of immediately.
“When you have the severe pain on different parts of your body, it’s not the easiest thing to manage.’’
Irsay tweeted in February he was “on the mend” but could not attend the team’s NFL Draft in person after undergoing the surgery.
The Colts went 9-8 last year but missed the playoffs, and hope their 2023 first-round pick, quarterback Anthony Richardson, can stay healthy and lead the team back to the postseason.
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