By JOSH BODE
WISH-TV | wishtv.com
Carlie Irsay-Gordon is not too hard to find on Colts game days.
She’s on the team’s sideline, wearing the headset fans are used to seeing the coaches wear.
It’s not common for owners to be that involved in the game day process, but it has been valuable for Irsay-Gordon.
Irsay-Gordon realized, as far back as 2012, when the Colts hired Chuck Pagano, that she needed to learn more about the game day operation.
“It’s such a complex organism of football team and how it operates and on game day, and you could say, ‘Oh, that person ran that route wrong,’” Irsay-Gordon said. “When you learn to find, ‘Oh, someone tagged the wrong wide receiver, and it wasn’t really the player’s fault – it was the person that called it.’”
Irsay-Gordon became the CEO and the principal owner of the Colts on Monday. She takes over for her father, Jim Irsay, who passed away last month.
“It also helps us be able to know where do we need to make tweaks? What resources do we need? What do we need to fix?” Irsay-Gordon said. “So much of it comes down to just how we operate and how things work and the headsets – I would suggest it for anyone else that has to pay coaches and GMs millions and millions of dollars. It helps you make a less expensive mistake potentially.”
On Thursday, Colts head coach Shane Steichen shared what his first thought was when he saw Irsay-Gordon wearing the headset on the sideline.
“I thought it was great,” Steichen said. “I’m not going to lie. I mean, she said it – it’s real. Like you got to know what’s going on as an owner, and for her to be on the sidelines, I think it’s a great deal so she knows exactly what’s going on on game day for sure.”
Steichen clarified that she doesn’t talk on the headset, she only listens.
“She’s very, very knowledgeable, but very interested in gaining that knowledge,” Colts offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said. “That’s how she’s gotten to this spot. So it’s been really, really cool.”
The Colts wrapped up minicamp on Thursday. The next time they get back on the field will be at Grand Park for training camp in Westfield. The schedule for training camp has not been announced.
This story originally appeared on WISH-TV at wishtv.com/sports/carlie-irsay-gordon-colts-owner-headset-on-sidelines/