INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Colts general manager Chris Ballard had a clear message to the Colts fan base.

He said he understands where the frustration comes from. He doesn’t blame the fans for being mad.

But, he isn’t going to hide.

“I don’t run from the criticism,” Ballard said.

Ballard decided after the 2023 season to run it back with a similar roster in 2024. He regrets that decision now.

“Instead of really creating competition throughout and throwing new blood into the locker room, new players in the locker room, I said you know what? We’re going to run it back,” Ballard said. “That was a mistake.”

“That’s probably the biggest miscalculation I made is you know, my vision since I’ve been here has been to take care of our own guys,” Ballard said.

Ballard said that he did not create enough competition on the roster. He added that there has to be real stress within the locker room.

Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner brought up issues with complacency and ego, specifically within the defense. Ballard said that Buckner was right about those things.

“Ultimately, what I’ve done is created an atmosphere that wasn’t competitive enough,” Ballard said.

Ballard said there was an entitlement among the players that returned. Ballard noted they deserved to be back, but there’s also an expectation and a standard that needs to be upheld.

At the quarterback position, Ballard said they will be bringing in competition. He gave two reasons for that, saying competition makes everybody better and that Anthony Richardson has not proven that he can play 17 games.

He did give any details on where they would be looking though.

“We’ll bring who we think is the best guy we can bring in,” Ballard said.

He also went into more depth on why Richardson was benched in the middle of the season. He said Richardson was “drowning.”

“I thought he needed to take a step back and breathe a little bit,” Ballard said.

Ballard said they had a meeting with leadership, which Richardson was a part of. The meeting was about an hour and a half long, and there were honest conversations about where they were and what they needed to do. Ballard noted that the players let it be known what the expectations were for Richardson.

As for Colts owner Jim Irsay’s message to Ballard, it was clear: “fix it.”

Ballard said that Irsay said that he needs to get it going back in the right direction, and they need to win.

Ballard was clear that he is still confident in his abilities as a general manager. He was also clear about where he thinks the Colts are right now.

“Right now, we’re not close, Ballard said. “I’m going to make this really clear. Close is losing on the last play of the Super Bowl. That’s close. Going 8-9, that’s not close.”

Ballard has been the general manager for the Colts for eight seasons. In those eight years, the Colts have never won the AFC South. The other three teams in the division have all won the division multiple times. He has two playoff appearances and just one playoff win.

Colts owner Jim Irsay decided to keep Ballard around for a ninth season, writing on a post to X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday that he believes in Ballard and the collective ability to make improvements for the 2025 season.

The Colts missed the playoffs for the fourth straight year in 2024, the longest drought in 30 years for the franchise.

More Colts coverage

Jim Irsay addresses Colts locker room after season finale

Shane Steichen sends strong message to Colts fans

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A local bookstore and advocacy group are joining forces to make an impact.

The Indianapolis Liberation Center is hosting a pop-up event at Tomorrow Bookstore on Massachusetts Avenue Saturday to raise awareness and funds for vital community efforts.

This event is about more than selling merchandise. It’s about bringing people together to support marginalized communities and create real change in Indianapolis.

Visitors at Saturday’s event on Mass Ave can browse merchandise designed to inspire and inform people about LGBTQ+ liberation, women’s rights, and other social justice issues.

“We’re going to be coming in and we’re going to have a table set up where we’ll do volunteer intakes, sell some of our books, shirts, posters, and things like that, and do some of the outreach with the community to talk about getting involved and volunteering at the center,” said Destiny Glover, general coordinator at the Indianapolis Liberation Center.

It aims to be a safe space for participants to sign up for any services they may need from non-profit community partners such as IOC Watch, a prison re-entry group, Arte Mexicano en Indiana, an art gallery that highlights marginalized artists, and Hope Packages, that provides food for struggling communities in Indiana.

“We’re just kind of helping them make sure they’re getting their needs met,” Glover said. “Healthcare, visitation, anything that they may need from inside and outside prison. And also helping that lower class that’s struggling with homelessness.”

As Glover sees it, the event is a great example of how community partnerships can fuel meaningful activism.

“A lot of the time we’ve noticed that while there are a lot of people fighting individual fights and pockets of struggle,” Glover said. “Oftentimes, when we come together and connect whatever the commonalities are of the struggles, we have a lot more power to get things done, and we can really build a stronger community to fight with.”

All of the proceeds from the sales will go toward funding the Indianapolis Liberation Center.

“Just making sure that we have the resources and things like that to put on and really help the community, and keep the lights on here,” Glover said.

Saturday’s event is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — High school basketball season is in full swing in Indiana.

This week on “The Zone Extra,” we highlight Lawrence North boys basketball. The Wildcats have won eight straight games since losing their season opener and are ranked #2 in 4A. Lawrence North boys basketball head coach Chris Griffin joins the show for coaches corner.

The athlete of the week is Roncalli girls wrestling’s Claire May.

Plus, hear from IHSAA commissioner Paul Neidig on this week’s edition of Ask The Commissioner.

Also, former Heritage Christian star and current Purdue guard Myles Colvin is featured on the on campus segment.

All of that and more from central Indiana high school sports can be found in the video above.

For more ‘The Zone’ coverage, download the new ‘All Indiana Sports‘ app.