USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Colts’ Carly Irsay-Gordon is speaking out after facing backlash over her sideline note-taking.
Over the weekend, a video of Irsay-Gordon asking Colts coaches questions on the sideline went viral on social media.
Colts Owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon is asking coaches why plays were called in London 😂
Imagine having her as an owner 😳 https://t.co/Wfl1D4qSS6
— HotTakes (@hottakes_app) October 4, 2026
Bill Simmons was bothered by the video and crushed the Colts owner over her sideline antics.
“I’m not gonna tip toe around this anymore,” Simmons said on “The Bill Simmons Podcast.” “And I know it’s been a topic the last couple weeks. I think the owner on the sideline taking notes is f—ing nuts. I think it’s nuts. I think it’s bonkers. I can’t believe she does this, and I can’t believe people in her life haven’t talked her out of it. And now there’s this push of like, ‘oh, no, no, no, she’s really into… .’ If a male owner was doing this, we would be ridiculing this guy till the cows came home.”
“This would be like when Vivek [Ranadive] was celebrating the summer league title in the NBA, and we thought it was so funny,” Simmons continued. “We would think it was so f—ing funny if some, you know, rich guy, male owner was on the sideline with a notebook like hovering over and giving advice to the coach. … Even Jerry Jones wouldn’t do that. And Irsay’s daughter’s doing it and we’re like, ‘oh yeah, well, she cares about the team.’ Why are we making excuses for how weird this is?”
Sometimes he can still reach back and fire the 100 MPH fastball https://t.co/z4dbpEAcxX
— The r/BillSimmons Podcast (@rBillSimmonsPod) October 5, 2026
Irsay-Gordon spoke with Front Office Sports Tonight this week about the criticism she’s receiving and, once again, explained why she takes notes and asks questions on the sideline.
Via Front Office Sports Tonight
“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 told Bridget Condon of Front Office Sports Tonight.
“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.”
Carlie Irsay-Gordon talks to FOS’s Bridget Condon about the increased attention she’s received since becoming the principal owner of the Indianapolis Colts back in 2025 and discusses her leadership philosophy. https://t.co/7X52ejoxwD
— Front Office Sports Tonight (@FOSTonight) October 6, 2026