2018 Super Bowl bid not hurt by Jim Irsay's arrest, sports adviser says

A longtime consultant to cities and team owners on NFL issues said the arrest of Colts owner Jim Irsay will have little effect on the city's chances to land another Super Bowl.

The biggest potential issue for Indianapolis' 2018 Super Bowl bid will be Irsay's ability to sway decision-makers, said Marc Ganis, president of SportsCorp, a Chicago-based sports consulting firm.

"There's no greater cheerleader for Indianapolis than Jim Irsay," Ganis said. "That's the loss — if he can't be there and lobby the other owners fully."

There is an NFL owners meeting next week in Orlando, Fla. The owners meet again in May to vote on the host city for the 2018 Super Bowl. Indianapolis is competing against Minneapolis and New Orleans.

But Ganis said Irsay's troubles in themselves would not be likely to dissuade owners from voting for Indianapolis.

"Whether the entire bid rises or falls because Jim may have the potential of a suspension by the commissioner — that's not the way the owners look at Super Bowl votes," Ganis said.

"I could count on one hand — and still have fingers left over — the number of times the Super Bowl was granted to a city because of an owner."

Irsay was arrested Sunday night by Carmel police, who said he was driving under the influence and had multiple prescription drugs in his vehicle. Irsay faces four preliminary counts of felony possession of controlled substances.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the arrest "will have no impact on the (Super Bowl) bid process."

Even before the incident, Ganis thought the odds were against Indy landing the 2018 Super Bowl.

He thinks New Orleans will get that game. New Orleans has hosted several Super Bowls and wants to use the event as part of the city's tricentennial celebration. Ganis thinks Minneapolis will get the 2019 Super Bowl as payback for building a publicly financed stadium.

Allison Melangton, president of Indiana Sports Corp. and head of Indy's Host Committee for the 2012 Super Bowl, issued a statement:

"Jim Irsay has created one of the best franchises in the NFL," it said.

"He and the franchise have made immeasurable contributions to the city of Indianapolis and state of Indiana. We don't have any detailed information about the incident, and it would not be appropriate to comment on this further."

Cathy Langham, president of Langham Logistics and vice chair of Indy's 2018 Super Bowl Bid Committee, declined comment on whether the arrest might affect the city's bid.

"The Colts have been wonderful for this community, and (Irsay) has been wonderful for this community."

Star reporter Stephen Holder contributed to this story.Call Star reporter Mark Alesia at (317) 444-6311. Follow him on Twitter: @markalesia.