With the long-awaited sale of the Commanders now official as of Thursday, Colts owner Jim Irsay wasted little time in voicing his support for the move following the seismic announcement.
The 24-year tenure of owner Dan Snyder and his family came to an end after NFL owners voted unanimously to approve the sale of the Commanders to the Josh Harris Group for $6.05 billion. The sale culminated roughly nine months after a public push from Irsay calling for the removal of Snyder as owner amid an ongoing investigation into years of workplace misconduct allegations.
In a statement shared with NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the 64-year-old Colts owner kept it short and sweet while reacting to Thursday’s news. The sale of the Commanders also coincided with the news of Snyder receiving a $60 million fine following the release of attorney Mary Jo White’s findings from the investigation.
“We’re very happy,” Irsay told Pelissero.
Jim Irsay: “We’re very happy.”
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 20, 2023
While Irsay kept his latest public remark regarding Snyder brief, the longtime Colts owner was anything but during the NFL’s fall meeting back in October.
It was at that time that Irsay stated he believed there was “merit” to removing the embattled Snyder as owner before noting he felt the move would be “in the best interest of the National Football League.”
“Some of the things I’ve heard doesn’t represent us at all. I want the American public to know what we’re about as owners,” Irsay said, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. “… I believe it’s in the best interest of the National Football League that we look at this squarely in the eyes and deal with it.”
Irsay later explained his stance against Snyder, as well as the impact of the sexual harassment and toxic workplace allegations Snyder and the organization were linked to, in an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
“I don’t like the fact that sometimes the way owners are viewed, people think we can do whatever we want, with all the sorts of issues that are out there. Because that’s not true,” he said. “This is not what we stand for, this sort of thing. I mean, it’s absolutely not. So the league’s very important to me. I’ve been taught by founders of the league and, like I said, Lamar [of the Chiefs] and Wellington [Giants] and Dan Rooney [Steelers] that you do what’s best for the Colts but what’s best for the league, too.
“You have to protect the shield to protect the league, and I don’t like to see the shield damaged. And right now, the shield is taking some damage from all this.”
