Colts Owner Jim Irsay Lost 70 Pounds After Reported Drug Relapse

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay was arrested and charged with driving under the influence and four felony counts of possession of a controlled substance Sunday night.

Irsay has a history of substance abuse. In 2002 he acknowledged that he had been addicted to prescription painkillers. He successfully kicked the habit, and last October he tweeted that he hadn't had a drink in 15 years.

In a heartfelt column today, Colts beat writer Bob Kravitz reported that people around the team realized Irsay had relapsed, and tried to get him help over the last few years.

Kravitz said Irsay has lost 70 pounds, and that "his increasingly gaunt physical appearance sent up red flags throughout the community."

"He's a sick, sick man," a source told the IndySar.

Kravitz says that he suspected Irsay was having problems, but didn't report it because he didn't know for sure.

He wrote:

"He has two big problems, besides the obvious drug issue: He's crazy rich and he has lots of free time. That is a dangerous cocktail for a man with a genetic predisposition to substance abuse.

"That doesn't make him a bad man, just a troubled one, one who has been in and out of rehab on multiple occasions, one who needs to get himself some help again if he wants to be alive for the Colts' next Super Bowl."

Irsay tweeted the following Monday afternoon:

Deepest thx to family, friends, fans, colleagues for the messages of support, thoughts and prayers. Impossible to tell u how much this means

- Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) March 17, 2014

What Irsay looked like in 2012:

His mug shot: