Colts owner Jim Irsay's 911 call released
On the morning of Dec. 8, Pete Ward, the chief operating officer of the Indianapolis Colts, called 911 on his way to team owner Jim Irsay's Carmel home.
Earlier in January, news broke that Irsay was found unresponsive at his home on that December morning. According to a Carmel Police Department incident report, Irsay, 64, was cold to the touch and breathing abnormally. Officers on the scene attempted a "sternum rub," which was unsuccessful, and then administered one dose of Narcan, a drug commonly used to revive people after an opiate overdose. Irsay "responded slightly," according to the incident report, and then medics arrived, taking over and transporting Irsay to a hospital in an ambulance.
Ward called 911 at 4:31 a.m., according to a document that was obtained by an open records request with Hamilton County. The longtime Colts employee was on his way during the call and arrived at Irsay's residence right before emergency medical personnel reached the scene.
Hamilton County also released the 8-minute, 31-second 911 call Ward made that morning.
Jim Irsay was believed to have congestive heart failure at the time of the 911 call
Ward called 911 and told the operator, "We have a gentleman who is unresponsive. He is breathing but is bluish in color and we believe that he may be having congestive heart failure."
Ward was traveling to Irsay's Carmel home at the time of the call. Irsay was not awake but was breathing. Ward said Irsay's breathing was labored and he was "mostly" unconscious.
Congestive heart failure is a long-term condition in which the heart can't pump blood well enough to meet your body's needs, according to myclevelandclinic.org. More than 6 million people in the United States have the condition. Congestive heart failure can have no symptoms to being severe; it is a chronic condition that gets worse with time.
911 call refers to Jim Irsay's oxygen level being low
Once Ward arrived at Irsay's residence, he was told by Irsay's nurse that the Colts owner had low oxygen.
"His oxygen saturation number is 71," Ward said.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, a normal pulse oximeter reading for a person's oxygen saturation level is between 95% and 100%.
What the Colts have said about Jim Irsay's health
On Jan. 17, the Colts released a statement after news of the Dec. 8 incident became public.
"Mr. Irsay continues to recover from his respiratory illness," the Colts said. "We will have no further comment on his personal health, and we continue to ask that Jim and his family's privacy be respected."
It remains unclear if Irsay's illness is connected to the Dec. 8 incident. Irsay was at the team's 30-13 win over Pittsburgh on Dec. 16, and he posted video to his social media account documenting that day after the game.
On Jan. 9, the Colts announced Irsay was dealing with a "severe respiratory illness" and that he would miss an appearance in Los Angeles by the Jim Irsay Band.
"He is receiving excellent care and looks forward to returning to the stage as soon as possible," the team's initial statement said. "We'll have no additional information at this time and we ask that you respect the privacy of Jim and his family as he recovers."
What Colts general manager Chris Ballard said about Jim Irsay's health
At the Colts' postseason press conference, Irsay's health was brought up by reporters to general manager Chris Ballard, who was asked if he could say anything further.
"No, other than he’s stable and they’re working through it,” Ballard said.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts' Jim Irsay possibly had congestive health failure, per 911 call
