Although he's 25 years his senior, Bengals president Mike Brown always felt a connection to Colts owner Jim Irsay since both were scouts who landed at the top of their organizations.
In the wake of Irsay's death, Brown reflected on their friendly encounters on the scouting trail and later in the meeting rooms of the NFL owners.
"Jim contributed in great ways to the Colts and the NFL. He will be remembered for his love of family, football and his community. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Irsay family and the Colts organization," Brown said.
"It's hard for me to think of the NFL without thinking of Jim and the wonderful role his family has played in the league for over half a century. I have so many fun memories of working with Bob and Jim over the years, and they always represented what was best for the NFL. They were champions of what made this game so great and this league so strong. Jim's leadership and commitment to the league's tradition will be missed."
Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin broke into the league as a scout working for both Jim Irsay and his father Bob when Bill Tobin was the Colts' general manager. During Bill Tobin's tenure, Indianapolis reached the 1995 AFC title game for the Colts' first appearance in a conference championship game since 1971.
"I'm grateful to the Irsays for giving me the chance to start my career in Indianapolis working for my dad," Duke Tobin said. "I'll always have fond memories of those teams with Ring of Honor members like Jim Harbaugh, Marshall Faulk, Marvin Harrison and Tarik Glenn."
