Jim Irsay Loves Lolita
When I tried to figure out which NFL owner deserved to take over Snyder’s crown several people mentioned Jim Irsay. It made some sense as Irsay is, for an NFL owner, pretty well-known and public-facing. But I never considered him near the top of the worst owners. He’s always been a clownish failson. His crimes are mostly that he has substance abuse problems and that he makes the occasional very bizarre tweet. He wasn’t the man who stole the team from Baltimore, that was his dad. He did hire Jeff Saturday, which still feels like something that came from a fever dream, but again, that’s mostly just failson clown antics, not evil. He never struck me as one of the more evil owners.
Of course as soon as I released that comic about the new worst owner Jim goes and starts publicly feuding with his star running back. Jonathan Taylor was another victim of the current running back systemic market collapse and after seeking a contract he wouldn’t get, he demanded a trade, and things got petty with sniping over social media. Classic stuff.
Now, to be clear, Jim Irsay deciding to save the whales with his own personal money is a completely separate issue from Taylor. Lolita does not count against the salary cap. Frankly, I think Jim using his wealth to give a poor captive whale a better life is good, actually. I wish more rich people did shit like this instead of setting up tax havens through philanthropy (Irsay probably does that too but you take what you can get). Condemning an orca to a tiny pool for 50 years is cruel. Naming it Lolita is even crueler. Naming anything Lolita is a red flag. I’m glad the whale is getting a second chance thanks to Jim.
But while it doesn’t directly have anything to do with the Taylor situation, nothing in life is so simple. The PR game is not irrelevant. Publicly feuding with a star player, contributing to the underpaid runningback problem while spending a lot of money to save the whale at the same time is, as the kids say, a bad look. It’s a classic Dan Snyder move, trotting out a public display of decency during a scandal to redirect attention. The timing is probably unrelated but it’s still a bad look regardless. Jimmy will pay the whale but he won’t pay the man who sacrifices his body every week for our entertainment and his team.
The runningback problem is a complex series of cascading issues and I think headed for a reckoning soon as all the players are starting to get loud about it. I expect it to be a major discussion point of the next CBA negotiations.
In the meantime, I actually have a theory that Irsay saving the whale is not charity or goodhearted love of marine life. You know about those orcas who have been trashing rich person boats in the Strait of Gibraltar? I think Irsay is trying to hedge his bets and get on their good side so they won’t attack his boat. See? I saved Lolita! Don’t wreck my yacht, go wreck someone else’s.
Honestly I think giving Lolita the free ride might make Irsay a bigger target for Orcas. They can be jealous bastards and will likely all demand free rides across the U.S.
Every dollar spent on a star running back is taken from the pockets of a more deserving player. F*** running backs
Last I heard Jonathan Taylor wanted the CMC contract (16 mill/yr) and he couldn’t have asked for it at a worse time. He failed his physical, had a down year last year, and missed games due to injury.
It’s hardly like Saquon or Josh Jacobs where the only reason they’re not being paid is RB economics.
All true, but it’s also not like Saquon or Jason Jacobs because Taylor is basically the only star on the whole Colts team.
Unless they hire another washed up QB who’s more name than player…
Honestly I’m not convinced that irsay is just being cheap with taylor. The salary cap is a thing unlike baseball, where cheap owners abound. Here, there is a legit argument that loading up an RB with that kind of money will hamstring your team down the line.
If the cap was removed (or made as loose as the NBA’s), would running backs really get a bigger bag though? Cheapo owners would deflate the value of the total market (because with the salary cap comes a salary floor).
I don’t know, but my argument wasn’t that they would get their bag, it’s that there is a legitimate, competitive reason why they aren’t getting their bag currently; if there was no salary cap, then the only reason would be those cheapo owners.
No salary + relegation and now we’re talkin
Yeah, I have to agree. Irsay isn’t the only one lowballing RBs. As the pass becomes more important, the value generated by the RB will become relatively lower, meaning it makes less sense to spend resources there. It makes more sense to accept a worse RB and use the money on WRs, QB, OLs, instead. Add in how injury prone the position is and the deterioration and it’s a bad investment. 7 years ago, Ezekiel Elliot came into the league and looked like a HOFer, with 1631 yards. Dak won the rookie of the year with 28 votes yo his 21 but in his speech called up Elliot and said it should be split with him. He was tied for third in MVP votes. Fast forward to 2022. He had 876 rushing yards and his yards per game was 58 compared to the 108 of his rookie year. Obviously a lot has changed since his rookie year and I am not trying to say he is bad. In 2021, he ran for 1002 years and he had 979 the year before that. However, he hasn’t made it to the Pro Bowl since 2019, his fourth year in the league. I think it’s clear his play has deteriorated, probably due in large part to the nature of the position he plays.
Jim Irsay had a “Saint Louis fans should root for us” ad out within a week of the vote to move the Rams. https://larrybrownsports.com/football/colts-try-to-recruit-fans-in-st-louis/288819
I was today years old when I learned what “Lolita” meant.
The novel and film gave the name a negative connotation, kinda like Karen and recent times.
Irsay is a lolicon confirmed.
Never forget when Irsay’s mistress was found dead from OD in a house purchased by Irsay using money from the Colts.
That doesn’t mean a whole lot. Irsay was just as likely at points of being found dead and ODed.