The Indianapolis Colts will erect a statue of Peyton Manning outside Lucas Oil Stadium and also retire No. 18.
"I think I speak for all Colt fans when I kind of feel like he's ours," Irsay said.
He added: "I just can't say enough about what he's meant for this franchise -- this city and state. Just simply run out of words thinking about how much No. 18 means to us, and so actions are the most powerful thing in life, more powerful than words."
Irsay compared the new statue of Manning to the gravesite of Jim Morrison in Paris.
"Just like Jim Morrison's grave, even though it's not a grave Peyton, it will be a destination for people to leave cans of Budweiser or notes for you, so we'll collect those and get them to you as years pass," Irsay said. "But we couldn't be more excited about the statue. It's not often you build a statue of someone in their lifetime, but we're really excited about putting this iconic statue outside Lucas Oil Stadium where it will stand for many, many years."
