Anne Marie Tiernon/Eyewitness News
The last name "Irsay" is well known in Indianapolis, oftentimes linked with the Colts or a charity event. But over the past few years, Nancy Irsay, the widow of former Colts owner Bob Irsay, has battled other headlines. She spoke to Eyewitness News in an exclusive one-on-one interview.
Nancy Irsay wants to set the record straight. After years of silence, she is ready to reveal secrets.
"I've been trying to cover this up for years, and I'm not going to do it anymore," Irsay said. "I think you know - I needed to clear the air on some issues."
Irsay has faced her share of problems. In July 2003, Indianapolis police arrested Irsay for DUI and reckless driving, saying her balance unsteady. Police say she was driving 70 mph in a 30-mph zone.
"I am known for having a lead foot," Irsay said.
The DUI case made headlines for three years, and while Nancy Irsay concedes she drank that night, she insists she wasn't drunk.
"Yes, I had a couple glasses of red wine," she said. When questioned further, she emphatically stated, "No. I was not drunk. No, no, no."
Irsay said spending a night in jail was overkill. "The ladies in there actually just looked like normal housewives," she recalled. Those women gave her advice on how to stay warm in a cold jail cell. "They were really kind. They showed me how to use toilet paper to roll it around my arms to keep myself warm."
Once released, Irsay employed various attornies to fight the charges. Her attorney in November 2005 released a high-profile witness list including former First Lady Judy O'Bannon.
"I found out just like everyone else in the newspaper. I thought it was horrible," Irsay said.
The witness release list was part of a most unusual week. Irsay's mother died unexpectedly and Irsay herself was back in the headlines again after she pulled out of her driveway and hit a truck. The incident raised public suspicion that she had been drinking and driving again.
Eyewitness News asked her if she had a drinking problem. Her answer: "No."
Then why run? Why allow A worker to say he was driving? Eyewitness News asked her why she misled police about the incident. "Out of fear," Irsay replied. "The reality was, I never left my own property. I went back to the house to call my lawyer."
That new lawyer told Irsay it was time to come clean with what was really going on, starting with the first incident.
Eyewitness News asked Irsay why she didn't simply take the breath test if she wasn't guilty. "Since my twenties I've been trying to hide the fact that I have a chronic lung disease that is genetic. Wen you spend your whole adult life hiding the fact that you have a breathing problem, an embarrassment for me, of taking a breathalyzer, when I knew I didn't have enough breath."
Irsay says she suffers from "M3F," a rare condition. "It's a condition where you don't have the protein to protect the lungs from infection. So, let's put it this way. In 1992 I had less than 50% of my lung capacity."
Marion County Chief prosecutor Lisa Borges says that while settling the Irsay case, Irsay's health and M3F symptoms were considered.
"We're probably not Ms. Irsay's favorite people," Borges said.
In the end, the DUI charge was dropped and Irsay pleaded guilty to reckless driving.
"Bottom line, it's a fair resolution of the case. It just simply is," said Borges.
While the DUI case is over, swaying public perception is sobering. "My life has been has actually been very, very difficult, and this smear of a DUI has just done nothing but drag my name through the media," said Irsay.
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