Irsay’s Charge of Death Threats Comes as News to FBI Officials

That anyone would, as alleged, threaten the life of Robert Irsay because, according to him, he won’t give the name “Colts” back to Baltimore--where it rightfully belongs--defies believability. Then Irsay, via the course of conversation, brings the FBI into the proceedings, except for one extremely vital detail. The Bureau doesn’t know anything about it.

The scenario unfolded when Irsay, the Colts’ owner who stripped Baltimore of its identity and, as a thief in the night, took the team to Indianapolis in 1984, claimed a letter he received placed his life in danger. He said the unknown writer was angered because Irsay wouldn’t allow the “Colts” name to return here when an expansion franchise is awarded.

That’s what Baltimore wants along with a new team--its old name but not the buffoon known as Irsay, who now claims there has been a written demand on his life. The story by the Associated Press was transmitted to news outlets around the country. It reads:

Indianapolis Colts owner Robert Irsay said Monday he still receives occasional death threats concerning the team’s nickname five years after he moved the franchise from Baltimore. The latest threat came as recently as a week ago, he said.

Irsay did not say where the threat originated or how it was sent to him. “We’re not letting the Colts’ name go,” he said at the Indianapolis News’ Downtown Quarterbacks Club luncheon. “Legally, we have it. It’s binding.” Irsay, who did not appear worried about the threats, said the threats have been reported to the FBI.

The newspaper hosting the luncheon reacted in a strange way. It buried the story in the sports pages. Here was the most famous adopted son of Indianapolis, the owner of its pro football club, reporting his life was threatened because he wouldn’t give up the name Colts and the development wasn’t considered important enough to be placed in a position of prominence. In fact, the newspaper merely published the AP story rather than writing a new, and more complete, one of its own.

Of course, evaluating the importance of news is a subjective matter. But here was the “hero” who robbed Baltimore and fled to Indianapolis, given such little attention in the public prints when his life was on the line. Doesn’t Irsay deserve better than that?

A life-threatening situation always has to be dealt with on the basis of reality until proven otherwise. In the interest of assessing the validity of Irsay’s claim with the FBI, there is absolutely no report in any of three offices -- Baltimore, Indianapolis and Chicago -- to justify the allegation he made.

The FBI, alert 24 hours a day in its quest to maintain law and order, has, of course, heard of Irsay -- including a previous instance when he insisted he was shot at in Chicago while leaving a parking garage. It might have been an automobile motor backfiring. As for the latest report, let it be said the FBI doesn’t have information to support such a contention.

“As of right now,” said Jim Dearborn, of the Baltimore FBI force, “we don’t show anything like that in the records. If there is a death threat in the mails we do get involved.”

How about in Indianapolis, home grounds for Irsay? John Teeling, the FBI spokesman there, advised, “I know of no official investigation of Robert Irsay.” An almost identical reaction came from Chicago, where FBI man Bob Long explained, “I don’t know personally of any such complaint. I am not aware of it. I don’t happen to know of it.”

Whether Bob was hallucinating is difficult to determine. He has, however, in the past, been guilty of some astonishing assertions. He claimed he was a football player at the University of Illinois. But the school had no record he ever drew a uniform for a single practice drill.

When coughing, or clearing his throat, he often reminded those around him the condition was caused by the malaria he contracted while fighting with the Marine Corps on those hellish island campaigns of World War II. It turned out he was never in combat and was asked to leave the Marines during the height of the war when every available body was so desperately needed.

And then, other times, he would exclaim, for no purpose at all, “I’m a good Catholic boy.” But his brother attempted to correct the record by explaining he couldn’t understand why Bob was saying that since they were from a Jewish family and had gone to the synagogue together.

It remained for his mother, who hadn’t seen him for what she said was a period of 35 years, to sadly announce to the world that “my son is the devil.” What a woeful pronouncement. In plundering Baltimore of the football team, Irsay took the name that had been linked to the franchise since its 1947 inception in the All-America Conference.

The name was supplied by a Baltimore fan, one Charles Evans, who reasoned that Baltimore’s association with the thoroughbred horse, the fact the team was new and the conciseness of the name counted only 4 1/2 units in a headline was reason for it being a natural nickname. That’s what Irsay took away ... the team, the name “Colts” that fit Baltimore so well and his own outlandish distortion of the truth.