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Who is Harry Haroutunian? Doctor at the center of Jim Irsay's death investigation
The FBI is investigating Harry Haroutunian, the doctor who prescribed ketamine and painkillers to former Colts owner Jim Irsay before his death.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) launched an investigation into Harry Haroutunian for the death of former Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay.
According to a new report from The Washington Post, Harry Haroutunian was the doctor who gave him ketamine and prescription painkillers before his death this spring. Haroutunian is a prominent addiction specialist based in California.
The FBI subpoenaed records earlier this month seeking information on Irsay's substance use and his relationship with Haroutunian.
Read more: Who are Jim Irsay’s 3 daughters? All about Indianapolis Colts' owners
Who is Harry Haroutunian?
Haroutunian was first connected to Irsay's death as his recovery doctor when Irsay relapsed. Haroutunian signed Irsay's death certificate, noting cardiac arrest caused by pneumonia and heart issues as the cause of death. There was no order for an official autopsy or toxicology testing.
Throughout his life, Irsay struggled with several health problems, including drug and alcohol addiction. He once acknowledged that he had attended rehab “at least15 times.”
A Washington Post investigation revealed that when Irsay had relapsed, Haroutunian was giving extensive amounts of opioid pills and ketamine injections to Irsay before he passed away in May 2025.
The Post reviewed that more than 200 opioid pills were prescribed to Irsay shortly before two overdose incidents in December 2023. Ketamine was also incorporated into his treatment regimen in the months that followed. Four people reported that they witnessed Irsay receiving ketamine injections under Haroutunian’s supervision.
Haroutunian defended himself in past interviews, saying, “I dedicated 18 months of my life to try to care for him … as a brother. We did everything we could to make him as comfortable as possible.”
Read more: Jim Irsay cause of death: How did Colts owner die? All on health issues
What do the Colts say?
The Post reached out to the Colts' Chief Legal Officer, Dan Emerson, after Haroutunian was subpoenaed. He told them that he knows that some people have been subpoenaed; however, none of his employees, the Colts, or he has been issued the same.
When the team was still based in Baltimore in 1972, Irsay's father paid $12 million to buy it. In 1984, the team relocated. Irsay was the team's general manager from 1982 to 1996. Shortly after his father passed away in 1997, at the age of 37, he became the youngest owner in the NFL.
Irsay was suspended for six games from the NFL when he was arrested in 2014 for “operating while intoxicated” (OWI). He was also fined by the NFL for an amount of $500,000.
After his overdosing episode in 2023, in January 2024, the Colts said that Irsay was receiving treatment for a "severe respiratory illness." In February of that year, Irsay wrote on X, the former Twitter, claiming he was "on the mend."
