Colts owner Jim Irsay shares horrific news about $20,000,000 aid to rescue 4-ton whale ‘Toki’

Jim Irsay has had his heart broken by a whale named 'Toki'. He might be busy dealing with the many things that come with being an NFL owner, especially now the 2023 preseason has already begun. He's dealing with fires on multiple fronts, some of them self-inflicted, not least with star running back Jonathan Taylor wanting away.

However, during that time, Irsay had found a cause outside football that he deeply believes in. A four-ton whale, named Toki, was being planned to be moved from a Miami aquarium to its original home. The Indianapolis Colts owner had committed a staggering $20 million to that effort.

Despite his best efforts, he revealed on Friday that the effort was munsuccessful. It had nothing to do with the movement itself, though, because even before they could begin the process, the whale passed away. Jim Irsay posted on Twitter:

"I am heartbroken that Toki has left us. Her story captured my heart, just as it did millions of others.

"I was honored to be part of the team working to return her to her indigenous home, and I take solace in knowing that we significantly improved her living conditions this past year. Her spirit and grace have touched so many. Rest in peace, dear Toki."

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What happened to Toki?

The reason for the whale's death was said to be from renal failure as released in a statement by the group 'Friends of Toki'. They said:

“Over the last two days, Toki started exhibiting serious signs of discomfort, which her full Miami Seaquarium and Friends of Toki medical team began treating immediately and aggressively. Despite receiving the best possible medical care, she passed away Friday afternoon from what is believed to be a renal condition.”

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Jim Irsay's charitable causes previously compared to his reported unwillingness to pay Jonathan Taylor

The $20 million commitment Jim Irsay had committed to Toki's release was compared unfavorably to his unwillingness to give running back Jonathan Taylor an improved contract. Given that the player's salary is around $4.3 million per year, giving the money to him now should not theoretically be a problem.

However, such an analysis ignores the NFL salary cap situation. Given that there are limited funds one can pay towards salaries to construct a team, there will be some unhappy players.

In the current league market, owners like Jim Irsay are willing to risk a running back being dissatisfied knowing that there's good value to be found in that position on a rookie contract through the NFL Draft.