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Last updated on Monday, March 17, 2014
(CARMEL) - Colts owner Jim Irsay was arrested in Carmel overnight for driving under the influence.
According to Hamilton County Jail records,officers spotted Irsay driving erratically in the 13000 block of Horseferry Road. Police say he was driving slowly, stopped in the roadway and failed to use his turn signal.
Carmel Police say Irsay failed several roadside sobriety tests.
Police say they found "multiple prescription drugs" in pill bottles. According to police, "these Schedule IV prescription drugs were not associated with any prescription bottles found in the vehicle."
Irsay, 54, was arrested for Operating a Vehicle Under the Influence and Possession of a Controlled Substance. He is being held on a $22,500 bond.
He is scheduled to go before a judge at 1:30 this afternoon.
When asked for comment, NFL Communications Director Brian McCarthy responded via email, "Our comment is that he will be subject to discipline."
The Colts issued this statement:
"We are gathering information at this time regarding last night's incident involving Jim Irsay. The team will issue additional statements when the facts are sorted and we are aware of the next steps to this process. Many fans have reached out to express their concern and we appreciate their support."
Irsay has struggled with substance abuse over the years, and has in the past admitted to an addiction to painkillers. Last October, he shot back at critics who accused him of being drunk when he gave a speech in the Colts locker room.
"Actually working,sorry naysayers..I don't drink...haven't in over 15 years..I know when your unhappy or jealous it's easy to b mean-spirited," Irsay tweeted.
A 2003 Eyewitness News investigation found that key NFL officials were aware of Irsay's problems - including a pattern of prescription drug abuse, overdoses and visits to rehab - as early as 1995. A former Indianapolis Police detective told WTHR about questionable prescriptions for powerful opiates written for Irsay. The doctor who wrote them, Dr. James Dickerson, lost his license and Irsay was urged to attend rehab.
The investigator, Rene Conder, said she kept NFL officials, including then-Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, informed of her findings.
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