Jim Irsay, owner of the Indianapolis Colts, will go to trial August 28 following a March arrest in which Irsay was charged with DWI and felony possession. He also has a date scheduled for a pre-trial hearing: July 28. During interviews this month, Irsay has focused on his struggles with addiction and alcoholism while remaining silent on the issue of his guilt in this particular instance. In short, there will be no apology for his behavior until after his trial.
In recent interviews Irsay has emphasized his ongoing struggles with alcoholism and addiction. While he claims to have been alcohol-free for 10 years, Irsay has admitted to issues with pain management following injuries and surgeries (via USA Today):
"These diseases, both alcoholism and addiction, much like bipolar or depression and different illnesses, are still not seen as real diseases... People shy away from seeking help because it's viewed as being somewhat morally off the path, that they've lost their way. I really think the disease aspect gets lost when you're talking about alcoholism and addiction; ... Even in 2014, there's still this stigma."
Irsay seems to have a handle on media relations, and his smooth demeanor in interviews is really impressive. When asked if he would apologize for his actions, he evaded admission of wrongdoing while not denying any wrongdoing (via NFL):
"We need to let the process go forward and I'll address that later... I'm a human being; if there's something I have to apologize for, I would, but at this point, it wouldn't be appropriate. It sets me up, like if you don't say you're sorry, then why aren't you saying you're sorry, and if you say you're sorry, then you must have done something wrong."
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