Indianapolis Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon regularly appears on the sideline for all to see during her team’s games. This has led to countless debates of whether that is appropriate, or whether she should leave the games in the hands of the coaches and players.
It is no secret that the fact she is a female owner leads to some criticism from certain individuals. Owners appearing on the sidelines is nothing new in the NFL.
The NFL is a male-dominated business and any female owner or executive will face backlash. Former Raiders CEO Amy Trask knows that and defended Irsay-Gordon in a recent appearance with CBS Sports.
Amy Trask Explains Carlie Irsay-Gordon’s Role
Trask was a trailblazer in the NFL world and was the first female front office executive in league history. So she knows a thing or two about receiving pushback for being a woman in the NFL.
Trask explained how Irsay-Gordon is simply doing what plenty of other NFL owners do.
Former Raiders CEO @AmyTrask sheds light on just how involved owners are when games are going on.
#Spotlight“There are 32 different structures,” Trask said. “Some team owners are extremely involved, others are far, far less involved. As it relates to the Colts, Carlie is down on the sideline for all to see, and in that respect good for her. She’s not hiding her involvement.”
To Irsay-Gordon’s credit, as Trask notes, the owner is not trying to hide her influence. She is letting the world see her take notes and ask questions.
“There are other owners sitting up in their box that have telephones,” Trask continued. “And when they want to get a message down to the sideline, or they want to ask something or they want to pull a player from the game to protect him, or otherwise, they pick up that phone. So Carlie is taking pushback for doing that which a lot of owners do.”
Trask pulls back the curtain a bit and notes how other owners are doing the same things, just not from the sideline.
Colts May Need Close Analysis From Ownership
The Colts are in a unique spot as an organization. GM Chris Ballard has been in his role since 2017 and the team has won just one playoff game in his tenure. He has not been able to find a franchise quarterback after Andrew Luck retired and fans frequently call for his dismissal.
Head coach Shane Steichen is also on the hot seat in his fourth season with the team as he seeks his first playoff appearance. It would be hard to defend retaining him following another missed postseason.
Irsay-Gordon actually being involved seems like a logical strategy as she tries to build a winning organization.
Former NFL Executive Defends Colts Owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon