Carlie Irsay-Gordon generates headlines for her unique approach as the Indianapolis Colts owner.
It’s not every day you see an NFL owner on the sideline, with a headset, taking notes.
Of course, it’s important to note that Irsay-Gordon has done this for a long time, and that she believes it’s a sound organizational approach. It still catches plenty of attention every single week because it’s different, and because some don’t like the optics of it.
What’s new this week, though, is that Irsay-Gordon has been compared to Jerry Jones — the Dallas Cowboys owner.
There are a heck of a lot of differences between Irsay-Gordon and Jones. The Athletic’s Candace Buckner wrote a new column after the Cowboys beat the Colts on Sunday to point out how they’re similar.
Carlie Irsay-Gordon Compared to Jerry Jones
Buckner’s premise of her column is that although Irsay-Gordon and Jones have different styles, they are currently accomplishing similar things with floundering teams.
“They are the two most visible, discussed — and let’s just say it, intrusive — owners in the NFL,” Buckner writes.
Buckner didn’t stop there.
“They share a similarity in that their presence on game days ratchets up attention on themselves while dimming the light on their equally disappointing teams,” Buckner writes. “They also have this in common: Both Jones and Irsay-Gordon are staring at the trainwrecks they call teams and will need to make bold decisions either ahead of Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, or in the next coaching cycle.”
Carlie Irsay-Gordon With Colts
Colts players and coaches have always said positive things about Irsay-Gordon.
Of course, she’s the owner, so maybe you’d expect that. But it generally does seem to be talking heads who latch onto her approach the most.
“However, it’s not Irsay-Gordon’s front-office decisions that get the attention,” Buckner writes. “It’s her presence on the field. Every game she wears a headset to hear the plays that are called, and carries a notebook to write down what she’s seeing on the field, as well as interactions on the sideline. Her dad might have been eccentric, but Irsay-Gordon is pervasive.”
Everyone is going to have their own opinion of Irsay-Gordon. The comparison to Jones is definitely a new one.
Colts’ Carlie Irsay-Gordon Compared to Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones