This is devastating..
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.
He battled his demons, as we all do but, God blessed Jim Irsay with an abundance of compassion.. he wanted to give back/help everybody and everything he saw or knew about… putting a list together of all of the causes/things/people that he’s given to would be an impossible task.. probably well over $100,000,000.. there was even a whale about to get an assist from Jim at one point.
The 1st time he and I really had an extended convo was at training camp after the lockout in 2011.. players and front office weren’t allowed to communicate with each other during the lockout but, Jim followed me on Twitter throughout the CBA negotiations.. his first day at training camp, immediately after the lockout ended, he drove his golf cart over to where I was and started firing off questions about Twitter.. He enjoyed the thought of being able to connect with Colts fans all over the world.. he appreciated the opportunity to be able to share some of his thoughts in his own way.. and he absolutely LOVED the idea of being able to give money/experiences/tickets/etc. away to people on Twitter.
He was a mogul who had a creative artist’s brain.. Everything he did he wanted to do in a big and imaginative way.. his Twitter Giveaways became just that.. he wanted them to be awesome... and they were. He was a Billionaire who yearned to share his wealth in fun ways.
Anybody that met him would say that he seemingly woke up everyday wanting to help people.. life got in the way sometimes but, anybody who actually knew him, loved him.
A true anomaly.
When I decided to retire.. he and I had a 2.5 hour conversation in his office. He was sitting at his desk.. hitting the shit 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.
“If for some reason this doesn’t work or you don’t want to do it anymore, you’ll always have a job here at the Colts. You are family.”
Since that day.. Jim has done everything he can to help me succeed.. He’d join our show anytime I asked, no matter where he was in the world.. He’d send me motivational messages when he heard I was going thru something.. he’d forward articles that he’d come across that he thought I should read.. He’d answer any question I had about decisions I had to make.. and he even offered up his connections if I wanted to “buy that lovely wife of yours something nice brother”
Jim was a real one.. and we will all miss the shit out of him.
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.
Life’s a book… each day being a page leading to the next.. phases of life come and go like chapters.. not every character/job/idea has to appear in every chapter. Some things are perfect for the story when it’s needed.. and then disappear as just a fond memory. A pivotal influence to get from one era to the next…
Don’t be scared to end a chapter and start anew.. you’re gonna have to do it eventually anyways.
And always remember to check with the mirror every once in a while and make sure your book is one that makes you happy.. and if it’s not, change direction.. I think that you’re allowed to do that.. we have NO IDEA when the final page is being written.. with no sequels. ‘Tis our only chance at this thing here.
I appreciate you all so much for everything. I’m living the dumbest book of all time.. trying to figure it all aht as I go..
#UpToSomethingSZN
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It’s pretty funny how everyone is saying Joe had a bad debate night but aren���t addressing why! I am not sure what they saw in Joe, but I saw a person, regardless of the questions, have issues cognitively putting a sentence together.
THIS IS SO POWERFUL! ❤️ It brought tears to my eyes! Enjoy & share!
“Men and women are not the same, and that is a blessing!”
God’s way is the way of blessing and peace!🙏
@chairmang Two reason… you’re either a sell out to the establishment who told you and the other sellouts how to vote to kill the motion or you’re not very smart politician. We have a process… let the process roll… unless of course you’re not going to run again than do what you want!
@PatMcAfeeShow You offer a non-scripted, “real take” on sports and the things that happen not only on the field but off. From Agents to the fake things that are reported about contracts. It’s the “REAL” that drew me in and keeps me coming back. Talking shit and learning things! Perfect
A lot of you are talking very wild about me and our progrum.. I assume you are very new to us.
We are a sports show that tries to inform folks of what’s going on and have a good time with good vibes… Everyday.
We do not bat 1000 but we feel as if we do make solid contact A LOT.. Our people found us because of that. We’re wildly lucky for the folks that enjoy taking mental vacations with us.. Monday-Friday.. 48 weeks a year. We take a lot of pride in making folks’ lives a little bit happier or better.
This past year with our show’s going to College towns on Fridays, I got to chat with a lot of folks that watch our show. I loved learning about them and then I would normally learn about how they started watching our show.. There was always a “buddy referral” story.. then there was the other stories about folks going thru some shit and we were there to hangout with them as they battled thru whatever they were going thru.. I haven’t polled our crowd but I’m rather certain that nobody’s wanting to come hangout with us to hear us talk about politics. I think it’s probably a massive reason for our success actually… so all of this has been a good reminder of what we’re good for, and who we’re good for. Some day, I’ll try and build up enough of a brain to dive into the politics world but that time is nowhere near now..
Also..
Our fans know that ART ends shortly after Aaron’s team’s season ends.. that’s how it’s been. He’ll make random surprise welcomed pop ins during big events or offseason adventures but, it’s always been a season thing. I never said he’ll never be on the show again. I hope he chooses to still chat with us. We’ve been lucky the last 4 years to ride the wave of a season with a 4X NFL MVP (2 of which during The ART Era) and get his thoughts along the way.. in real time.
I certainly don’t love that I’ve found myself in political wars and public beefs because of something that a guest has said on our show or something that my dumbass has said.. including a lawsuit that was VERY public.. but I think what I’ve come to realize is that it’s gonna come with the territory of this venture. We are much more aware of that now. And, for the good of our lives, happiness, and mana 🤙🏼.. we’re gonna try and avoid as many as possible.
I say all that to say this…I have a lot of pride in what the boys, our fans, and I have built. We found what we’re good for. There was a lot of different points during our journey that it could’ve ended or stopped or slowed down.. because of the entire team, we’ve kept rollin… I love them. I’m thankful for them… and we just want to talk shit about sports.
See you tomorrow.
Cheers