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Indianapolis Colts co-owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon has captured fans’ attention this season while on the sideline wearing a headset as the team started 2025 strong.
Irsay-Gordon is the daughter of Jim Irsay, who died earlier this year.
Her presence on the sidelines has been felt in previous years, but the team’s 7-1 start has renewed focus on Irsay-Gordon and her commitment to the organization.
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Indianapolis Colts CEO and owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon watches the second half of the game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on September 28, 2025. (Gary A. Vasquez/Imagn Images)
She was also praised by one-time NFL MVP Cam Newton.
“She’s a big stepper now! … She makes her presence felt and that leads to wins,” the former Carolina Panthers star said on the “4th and 1” podcast. “We’ve never seen a team have this type of run that you said in the last 25 years.
“She’s doing something right and that’s extremely commendable. It’s raising eyebrows and the thought process in here. Do we need more women in sports? Because what they provide is something that most men would overlook.
Cam Newton at Michael Rubin’s Fanatics Super Bowl Party at Marquee Dayclub Las Vegas at The Cosmopolitan on February 10, 2024 in Las Vegas. (Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty Images)
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“Some say women are more organized, detail-oriented, sharper. Not many times head coaches want senior management involvement. Why? Because they might feel like they’re micromanaging them. But at the same time, if I’m paying you, you don’t get to tell me how to run my team.”
Irsay-Gordon explained in June why she seemed so heavily involved with the team.
“I need to be able to say, ‘Is this person full of BS? Do they even know what they’re talking about?'” she said. “I think one of the things that being on the headset has really helped me learn is that the question used to be so complex is an organism, a football team, and how it works. … You can say, ‘Oh, that person ran that way wrong.’ When you learn, ‘Oh, someone tagged the wrong broadband receiver and it wasn’t really the player’s fault. It was the person who called it.
Indianapolis Colts co-owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon walks the sideline during the second quarter at Lucas Oil Stadium on Oct. 5, 2025. (Trevor Ruszkowski/Imagn Images)
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“It’s been very valuable because it also helps us know where we need to make adjustments? What resources do we need? What do we need to fix? So much comes down to how we operate and how things work and the headset, … I would suggest it to anybody else who has to pay coaches and GMs millions and millions of dollars. It potentially helps you make one.”
