Kalen Jackson grew up in football, developed a passion for using the game to help others

Published Sep. 17, 2024 5:31 p.m. ET

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Kalen Jackson was born into the NFL as the youngest daughter of Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, so her love for the sport developed at an early age.

Using football to help others has become part of her purpose.

“I can’t recall (when I fell in love with the game) because it was that ingrained in us but what I remember most is developing my passion and love for the team and for football when I saw what it brings to community,” Jackson told the AP. “My passion is being of service to others, and that doesn’t only mean within nonprofit work. It also means seeing the memories and the moments that we’re able to create with our fans and create with family. Then knowing that people’s lives are positively impacted by what our players do on the field and obviously off the field.”

Jackson and her sisters — Carlie Irsay-Gordon and Casey Foyt — are vice chairs/owners of the Colts. They had a choice to pursue any career path they desired — Jackson considered becoming a screenwriter at one point — but their father made sure they felt welcome to work in the family business. He instilled in them a belief they belonged in a male-dominated industry that is seeing more growth for women.

Over the past five years, there has been a 187% increase in women in football operation roles. There’s a record 15 full-time female coaches this season.

“Even if we were questioning if that’s what we were going to do in our life, he always made a point to make sure that we knew we belonged there, that we belonged in the room, that we had a lot to offer,” Jackson said.

Jackson began working for the Colts in 2010 after graduating with honors from Indiana University with a bachelor’s degree in sports management and marketing. She now oversees various functions of the organization, including coordinating the Irsay family’s community and philanthropic efforts.

She’ll go from a ticket revenue meeting one day to looking at marketing plans and giveaways the next day to viewing individual department budgets.

She currently leads “Kicking The Stigma,” the family’s initiative to raise awareness about mental health disorders and end the stigma often associated with these illnesses. Since launching in 2020, the initiative has committed $30 million to nonprofits and organizations expanding treatment and research and raising awareness in Indiana and beyond.

Irsay, who has publicly battled alcoholism and addiction, has made it a personal mission to help people by breaking down barriers surrounding mental health. Jackson has talked openly about dealing with anxiety.

“I think that’s where maybe the success of the initiative truly comes from is the fact that we’re speaking from lived experience,” Jackson said. “We know what it feels like. We know the lonely feeling or the feeling of potential judgment or fear of saying anything at all or speaking openly about what you’re going through. ... And I think because of that, we’re able to have such genuine, open conversations about it with people.”

The Colts for the second straight year partnered with another team for a mental health activation during training camp, teaming with the Arizona Cardinals to raise awareness during their joint practices ahead of an exhibition game. Jackson also hosted a panel for the team that featured Pro Football Hall of Famer Brian Dawkins, who has become a major mental wellness advocate after overcoming suicidal thoughts early in his career with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Colts will highlight “Kicking the Stigma” and give mental health friendship bracelets to fans attending a game against the Miami Dolphins on Oct. 20.

“I think being able to lend our voice and giving a face to an issue, letting people in allows more people to have a better understanding and they can feel safe to share,” Jackson said. “As much as I always say we had every resource under the sun and more than we’ll ever need in terms of financial support, it’s still hard. Mental health affects everyone."

Jackson also has represented the Colts at NFL owners’ meetings and is on the league’s Employee Benefits Committee. She acknowledges that can be an intimidating setting for the women in those rooms.

“Always feeling welcome, but also, in the back of my head, especially at the beginning, should I be in here?” Jackson said. “It is an overwhelming room, for sure, but those responsibilities have naturally kind of grown as you have more experience. We treated that just like everything else with the sound advice from our dad in terms of being a sponge, being respectful. You don’t always have to be loud or speak up to be heard. There are so many opportunities within the league.”

Jackson has two young daughters and makes sure they’re able to have similar experiences she had growing up with her sisters. Beyond that, she and the Colts have embraced the league’s commitment to providing women more opportunities in the game.

“We just have to show girls that they can take that path,” Jackson said. “For me to be able to point to my girls and say that’s a female athletic trainer, that’s a female doctor, a female coach, that didn’t exist when I was in the locker room. I didn’t see that as much. But my dad was there to say: ‘No. you belong.’ So seeing more of that, it’s so encouraging and exciting.”

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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