Colts' Irsay to critics: Reich firing 'not personal'

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indianapolis Colts proprietor Jim Irsay pushed backmost connected caller characterizations of his handling of the team's coaching alteration and firing of manager Frank Reich, telling ESPN, "It's not personal. It's the precise other from being personal."

Irsay's comments were prompted successful portion by statements made by Philadelphia Eagles manager Nick Sirianni, a erstwhile Colts adjunct and Reich mentee, who offered passionate postgame comments aft Sunday's triumph implicit the Colts successful Indianapolis and was captured connected video aft the 17-16 triumph yelling into the Lucas Oil Stadium crowd, "That s--- was for Frank Reich."

In his postgame quality conference, Sirianni added, "You don't privation to cognize what I deliberation of if helium should beryllium present oregon not, but you guys tin astir apt ideate what I truly think."

Irsay, who besides has been bothered by immoderate portrayals of his determination to prosecute Jeff Saturday arsenic an interim coach, offered a beardown defence of his decisions surrounding the coaching change.

"Frank is simply a treasured person of my household and each my daughters," Irsay said. "We spell backmost a long, agelong way. I'm very, precise adjacent to Frank, and I've known Frank for galore decades. He's similar family."

Irsay said helium demonstrated his committedness and content successful Reich by executing a declaration hold with him successful 2021. Irsay said helium was reluctant to widen Reich erstwhile Reich broached the thought due to the fact that the archetypal declaration had 2 years remaining and due to the fact that Irsay had concerns astir the team's violative consistency. But, Irsay said, helium went against his past stance and made the determination to determination guardant with a caller woody that locked Reich up done the 2026 season.

"I've been doing this for implicit 50 years, and I've never, ever, ever, ever fixed a manager an hold erstwhile there's 2 years near connected the contract," Irsay said. "But [I did it] due to the fact that of the closeness with him and our family, and due to the fact that I hoped that possibly it would beryllium thing that would assistance fortify him successful his presumption and his ain belief."

Irsay drew a examination to the Colts' determination to determination connected from moving backmost Edgerrin James aft the 2005 play due to the fact that of the team's tightening salary-cap situation, saying that determination -- similar the 1 to occurrence Reich -- was made with the close intentions.

"I had to archer Edgerrin James that determination wasn't gonna beryllium a contract," Irsay said. "And helium inactive asked maine to contiguous him for the Hall of Fame due to the fact that radical understand. I conscionable deliberation that has to beryllium clarified due to the fact that I don't cognize wherever thing idiosyncratic gets successful presumption of the organization, arsenic if we wronged someone. You person to marque a determination that's successful the champion interest, successful your belief, of the franchise going forward. It's not personal."

The determination to prosecute Saturday, who took implicit contempt having ne'er been a manager beyond the precocious schoolhouse level, was heavy criticized successful immoderate corners. Irsay pushed backmost connected that criticism, too, saying Saturday's prosecute was a highly unsocial situation.

"You person to recognize that Jeff's a precise antithetic idiosyncratic that was successful a precise antithetic presumption to person the benignant of qualities that would marque him capable to marque a modulation similar this," Irsay said. "Most of the time, it is gonna beryllium beauteous hard. Could I marque a prosecute similar this again? Probably not. I mean, if I was fortunate capable to unrecorded agelong capable to bash this for 75 years, it's astir apt erstwhile successful 75 years. I mean, it was a uncommon happening due to the fact that the circumstances presented themselves that way."

Irsay specifically disputed the thought that helium hired Saturday, a erstwhile ESPN expert and Colts consultant, simply due to the fact that of their narration oregon his presumption arsenic a erstwhile Colts player.

"I mean, I wasn't gonna prime up the telephone and prosecute Dallas Clark oregon Dwight Freeney," helium said. "No, they wouldn't beryllium ready."

Asked whether the people of the squad has changed nether Saturday's enactment -- the Colts are 1-1 since his prosecute -- Irsay had plentifulness to say.

"The trajectory's changed," helium said. "People tin constitute their stories and everything else. But, look, we won a pugnacious crippled connected the roadworthy successful Las Vegas, aft [previously] truly being incapable to compete. And we travel successful and play a squad that's astir apt gonna beryllium successful the NFC title crippled (the Eagles) with conscionable a singular quarterback.

"People deliberation that Jeff was gonna travel successful beryllium a occurrence worker. I mean, what benignant of delusional travel were they on? They person their archetypal communicative and thing that goes against that narrative, they don't wanna constitute until they person to. And yet they will. They'll spot the light. But each we tin bash is absorption connected Pittsburgh, and past erstwhile the offseason hits, we'll bash a superior and dedicated interrogation process, which I'm looking guardant to."