Former ESPN star Jemele Hill is coming to the defense of Indianapolis Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon.
Since becoming the principal owner of the Colts in 2025, Irsay-Gordon has been spotted plenty of times on the sidelines taking notes. During an interview with Front Office Sports, she explained that she’s trying to educate herself on the Colts’ football operations and coaching tactics.
“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.”
Despite those admirable comments from Irsay-Gordon, she has received criticism for her viral clips on the sideline. Earlier this week, Hill defended her from all the social media trolls.
“I think this is one of the stupidest controversies. Her wanting to gain insight into how her own organization is run is a great thing,” Hill said. “Meanwhile, y’all complain about owners who are out of touch. Please pick a struggle.”
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Irsay-Gordon is hoping this Colts regime thrives.
Although the Colts stumbled at the end of the 2025 season, Irsay-Gordon made the decision to retain the team’s general manager and head coach.
“Chris [Ballard] and Shane [Steichen] 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,” she said.
The Colts find themselves at 2-2 heading into this Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. A win in Week 5 would certainly uplift the morale in Indianapolis.
