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Colts GM Ballard says team owner Irsay ‘doing well’ despite health scare

Colts GM Chris Ballard says Irsay is progressing well

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay is staying in touch with the team despite his recent health scare, General Manager Chris Ballard said Wednesday ahead of the NFL Combine.

Carmel police and medics on Dec. 8 went to his home on a call that he was unresponsive. A police report listed the call as an “overdose.”

The team in January said he was dealing with a “severe respiratory illness” and asked that people respect his privacy.

Ballard addressed Irsay’s health at the NFL Combine: “We stay in touch, and this is about all I’m going to say on this, but he is progressing well. We are talking. Shane and I have talked to him multiple times, and we keep him abreast of anything. Look, at the end of the day, we’re not going to do anything without his approval, so we still keep him in the loop. You know him now; he loves his team and so he’s making his way, he’s doing well, he’s getting better.”

Head coach Shane Steichen did not meet with the media Wednesday due to an illness.

Ballard also discussed the team Wednesday at the Combine. Spending about 30 minutes talking about the state of the franchise, Ballard was asked how liberating it is to have Steichen and quarterback Anthony Richardson in place for Year 2 with the team.

“When you feel good about your head coach — Shane hadn’t done it, so we didn’t know — and we still got to have Anthony healthy, even though we like where he’s at. But, he’s going to go through some growing pains still. But, is it a lot better feeling you’re not going out chasing a vet and having to dump a bunch of resources into that? Absolutely, it is. You still don’t ever want to pass one in the draft, especially early, that can be a difference-maker. But, if you pigeonhole yourself into one position, you can kick yourself down the line. So, we’ll keep an open mind.”

This story was created from a script aired on WISH-TV.