Colts owner Jim Irsay stunned the NFL world Monday after announcing the hiring of franchise legend Jeff Saturday as interim coach shortly following the firing of Frank Reich after four and a half seasons.
The hire turned many heads due to the fact that Saturday, a Super Bowl champion and six-time Pro Bowler during his 13 seasons with the Colts, had no prior coaching experience in the NFL or college ranks. On Monday night, Saturday recounted the story of the Sunday night phone call with Irsay that led to his hire during his introductory press conference, and the former offensive lineman still sounded more than a little surprised about the offer.
“Shocked would be an understatement,” Saturday told reporters, per the Indianapolis Star. “We had a conversation and it escalated quickly. He asked me and my wife. He told me he was going to meet with [general manager] Chris [Ballard] about it. As the day progressed, we finally came to a conclusion. It was a 12-hour whirlwind. It was a late call.”
Saturday went on to reveal that he asked Irsay to, ‘Tell me why I’m a candidate you’d consider in any role to do this,’ but made sure to note that he feels “fully capable” and “excited” for the opportunity.
The Colts have been under fire in the hours since announcing Saturday landed the role over concerns that the move violates the guidelines of the league’s much-debated Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview at least two external minority candidates.
However, the Colts don’t yet need to satisfy Rooney Rule requirements for the hire since Saturday is filling the role on an interim basis.
Since retiring from the NFL in 2012, Saturday has spent time as an ESPN analyst, a consultant for the Colts and a high school head coach at Hebron Christian Academy in Dacula, Ga., from 2017-20, the only coaching experience of his career.
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