NFL Owner’s Death Under Investigation | Headline USA

(Mark E. Johnson, Contributor) Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, 65, died suddenly in May at the posh Beverly Hills Hotel, 2,000 miles from his $12 million estate in Carmel, Indiana.

According to ABC News, the FBI and the DEA are investigating Irsay’s death, focussing on a California addiction specialist who had been prescribing him opioids and ketamine.

Dr. Harry Haroutunian, who signed Irsay’s death certificate, recorded the cause as a cardiac arrest due to pneumonia. There was no autopsy.

“Dr. Harry,” as he likes to be called, claims to have “helped individuals and families suffering from the disease of addiction for nearly 40 years via his role as doctor, author, lecturer, sponsor and friend.”

Haroutunian did not respond to a media request for comment. The FBI would not confirm or deny the investigation, first reported by the Washington Post.

Owner of the Colts for nearly 30 years, Irsay had an estimated net worth of $4.8 billion. He fought a public and life-long struggle with addiction, famously paying $2.4 million at auction for the original manuscript of “The Big Book,” the founding document of Alcoholics Anonymous.

What to know about ketamine therapy

Accoring to the Mayo Clinic, ketamine is being actively studied for treatment of treatment-resistant depression, or TRD. The drug is available in intravenous (IV) and nasal spray (esketamine) forms.

One recent study estimated that almost a third of the nearly 9 million people in the United States treated for depression each year have TRD, a substantial marketplace for prescription drug treatment.

Both ketamine and esketamine are given in a doctor’s office or a clinic, says Mayo, and each is typically used alongside another antidepressant. The antidepressant market is said to be worth $23.5 billion in 2026.

Ketamine is believed to have been responsible for the death of Matthew Perry. Five people were criminally charged in “Friends” actor’s case, with one doctor being sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for unlawfully distributing ketamine.

In a statement provided to ABC News, the Colts said: “We are aware of the investigation, but at this time, we’ve not been contacted by the FBI or been served with any subpoenas.”