Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon explains why she roams sidelines on game day, defends position

The Colts owner explains why she roams the sideline with pen and paper during games as she holds Shane Steichen and Chris Ballard accountable in a pivotal season Oct 7, 2026 at 9:11 am ET • 2 min read When Carlie Irsay-Gordon became the principal owner and CEO of the Indianapolis Colts in 2025, following the death of her father, Jim Irsay, she became quite visible. Irsay-Gordon famously roams the Colts' sidelines during games, pen and paper in hand, locked in on the action more than any fan.She's been doing this for over a year now, but the attention around her game-day activities has not subsided. There was an instance during the Colts' Week 4 victory over the Washington Commanders in London where TV cameras captured Irsay-Gordon approaching a coach and asking questions about her notes -- clearly confused about or questioning some element of the game plan. Irsay-Gordon explained she's simply trying to educate herself about the organization's football operations, revealed during a recent interview with Front Office Sports in London. Because that's what a good leader would do. "I like to say on a good day I have like a fifth-grade reading level understanding of the game and just the basic concepts of what we're trying to do, depending on the week and depending on our opponent and depending on the situation," Irsay-Gordon said. "But I think, then, it just helps to understand and to ask questions because I think one of the things, in my opinion, like being a good leader is about listening, really to understand. And I think that's what the best teams do."It's clear that Irsay-Gordon wants to be involved as much as possible. Colts safety Cam Bynum said last year that the team owner is in the building every single day, being a "normal person" -- humble enough to have "casual conversations" with people. Her sideline presence is still a strange sight, given that most NFL owners are enjoying Sundays in their private suites. It's also fair to speculate that Irsay-Gordon's hyperfocus brings a different kind of pressure to the coaching staff. She's interested in Shane Steichen's process as much as she is the play-calls, and if something starts to go awry, she will notice. "I need to learn more about this," Irsay-Gordon said about her game day process last year. "I need to be able to say, 'Is this person full of BS? Do they even know what they're talking about?' ... It's such a complex organism, a football team, and how it operates on game day." The Colts are 2-2 entering Week 5, and Irsay-Gordon put Steichen as well as general manager Chris Ballard on notice in the offseason. She expects to win games and get to the playoffs, and she will be right there, pen in hand, whether Indianapolis succeeds or fails. "We have been very clear with Chris and Shane that giving them another opportunity means that the sense of urgency for them to deliver and perform has never been higher," Irsay-Gordon said following the 2025 season. "Chris and Shane are both capable of facing this challenge head-on and finding a way to achieve the results that our fans deserve, which is winning games, getting to the postseason and ultimately winning championships."