ATLANTA – Many people spent New Year’s Day paying their respects to former President Jimmy Carter.  They placed flowers and notes near the sign of the Carter Center.

FOX 5 Atlanta met a couple who called him a true inspiration.

“He’s just a fantastic humanitarian and just an inspiration to all of us,” said Tony May.

Tony says he’s a presidential history buff and knows a lot about the Carter presidency, as well as all he accomplished after leaving office.

“The work he did around the world, securing fair elections and getting vaccines delivered,” Tony listed. “His post-presidency is one of the best of any of the presidents.”

Tony and his wife, Flory, are from Indianapolis. While passing through Atlanta, they knew they had to stop at the Carter Center to pay their respects.

Tony says the former president inspired him to do better in life.

“I started a mental health fund, and it’s part of just trying to help people be better, be kind,” said Tony.

The May family also worked on Habitat for Humanity homes after hearing the former president and his wife talk about the organization.

“We took the kids out and started on some builds, not knowing the process, got to see some of the homeowners and did several builds over the summer and got to see two of the homeowners take ownership,” said Flory May.

Tony and Flory May said they were inspired by former President Jimmy Carter to practice kindness and get involved.

Jimmy Carter once said, “I have one life and one chance to make it count for something. My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I can, whenever I can, for as long as I can.”  Those words have stuck with Tony May.

“To me, that’s what I’m trying to live by,” said Tony. “Do whatever I can. I have a lot to do, and I use him as my inspiration.”

Jimmy Carter funeral plans, schedule of events announced

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Colts center and captain Ryan Kelly is entering potentially his final game as an Indianapolis Colt on Sunday.

Kelly is on his final year of his contract with the Colts, and there was no extension signed in the offseason.

The longest tenured Colt was reflective of his nine year career with the Colts during his media availability on Wednesday.

“I think at some point you come to realization, if I don’t cherish the memories I have right now, I’ll wish that back some day,” Kelly said.

He talked about being able to play with Quenton Nelson and Mark Glowinski on the offensive line. Nelson has been on Kelly’s left side since 2018. Glowinski was on Kelly’s right side for four seasons and was resigned by the Colts in November this season.

Kelly said those are the people you remember when you leave the game.

“At the end of the day, I come to work every day because I love the guys I play with,” Kelly said. “I love the guys that are in that room.”

Kelly has done more reflecting on his career now. He said there were a lot of ups and downs and a lot of unknowns. He has played with 12 different starting quarterbacks in his nine seasons with the Colts.

Kelly does want to play beyond this season though, despite heading towards free agency.

“You just kind of come to terms with you don’t know what the future holds,” Kelly said.

Kelly and the Colts will take the field for the final time on Sunday against the Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

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COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF

Tune in at 11 a.m. on WISH-TV on every Colts Sunday for Countdown to Kickoff with News 8 sports director Anthony Calhoun, former Colt Ken Dilger, Chuck Pagano, Colts Insider Kevin Bowen, and live hits from the stadium.

The only television postgame show airs right after the game with Anthony Calhoun and former Colt Marlin Jackson.

The Indianapolis Colts are now out of the playoffs and are looking to the new year, plus one last regular season game. With so many storylines and happenings from The Circle City’s NFL team in 2024, it’s time to detail five resolutions for the franchise in 2025.

Draft a Tight End

The Colts saw their tight end receiving production fall off a cliff in 2024. Despite having Kylen Granson, Mo Alie-Cox, Drew Ogletree, and Will Mallory, the group has compiled a meager 37 catches. Given that the tight end is integral for a quarterback, especially Anthony Richardson, it’s time for the Colts to draft a new name.

They still have Jelani Woods, but he’s missed back-to-back seasons and has no direction. Names like Penn State’s Tyler Warren or Michigan’s Colston Loveland have seen their names possibly tied to the Circle City. We’ll see what happens in the upcoming months, but the tight end spot is ugly for the Colts and must be addressed with a better overall talent.

Fire Gus Bradley

The Colts’ defense has been suspect, to say the least, since Gus Bradley was hired as defensive coordinator in 2022. While his initial campaign was a wash due to so much drama with Jeff Saturday and Jim Irsay, 2023 is when the cracks started to show. Now, after a horrific loss to the paltry New York Giants and rollercoaster 2024, the writing is vibrantly on the wall for Indy to move on.

The Colts have taken steps back defensively and still rank 29th in the league through 16 games in yards allowed per game (363.8). Against the Giants, struggling quarterback Drew Lock scored five total touchdowns and looked surgical with accuracy. In short, Bradley’s time in the Circle City is up; expect his to be one of the first dismissals if it happens.

Better Defensive Tackle Depth

Indianapolis re-signed veteran defensive tackle Taven Bryan and added Raekwon Davis during the 2024 offseason to help stalwarts DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart. However, both have been liabilities, displaying an issue with depth.

Starting with Bryan, the second-year Colt has a Pro Football Focus pass-rushing grade of 65.8 but run defense mark of 53.7. While these aren’t the worst numbers, considering that Bryan was brought back to be a revolving door against the run is discouraging. Indy needs to save their money with this offseason free agent.

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As for the new addition Davis, he’s been far, far worse. Per Pro Football Focus, Davis has a pass-rushing mark of 54.3, but can’t stop anyone on the ground, with a gross 36.1 grade. To think that the Colts signed Davis to a two-year, $14 million deal to give lackluster production is just as unfortunate as the results with fellow DT Bryan.

We’ll see what happens with Davis, but don’t be surprised if he’s cut ($2.5 million penalty; $6.49 saved in 2025).

Positive Steps from Anthony Richardson

Quarterback Richardson has had quite a wild second year in the NFL. After being sidelined for nearly his entire rookie campaign, Richardson’s sophomore season has been full of ups and downs. While he didn’t play against the Giants due to back spasms, he’ll push to return to action in Week 18 against the Jacksonville Jaguars to conclude the campaign with a victory.

Through his 11 games, Richardson’s passing numbers aren’t easy to look at, completing 47.7% (126/264) of his throws for 1,814 yards, eight touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and nine fumbles. As for his rushing numbers, they’re impressive, boasting 499 rushing yards on 86 carries (5.8 average) and six touchdowns.

While Shane Steichen must improve as a play caller and the rest of Indy’s offense needs to get in a better rhythm in 2025, Richardson must also take that third-year leap to give the Colts the confidence he’s the future of the franchise. With plenty of pressure already mounting for Richardson to succeed, he’s hoping that great things happen in 2025.

Fire Chris Ballard

The last resolution, and likely most importantly, owner Jim Irsay must relieve general manager Chris Ballard after eight years with the franchise. The tenured front office executive has compiled a disastrous post-Andrew Luck resume’, but altogether has 61 win, 69 losses, and one tie with two playoff appearances and a single postseason victory (2018).

Ballard has had plenty of time to put up something, yet it rarely happens past seven to nine wins and no playoffs. Recently, players like captains Kenny Moore II and DeForest Buckner shared their frustrations with a brutal loss to the bottom-dweller Giants in Week 17, giving even more fuel to the long-time Indy general manager being dismissed.

There’s still a puncher’s chance that Ballard remains in his seat for another year. However, that wouldn’t be as painful to consider if the Colts didn’t just give up 45 points to the Giants. We’ll see what happens with Ballard, but don’t be surprised if he and Bradley are gone following the regular season finale.

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