Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay paid $2.4 million for the founding document of Alcoholics Anonymous at an auction house, he revealed to the Associated Press.
“I’ve held it. I’ve looked through it. It is absolutely mind-blowing,” he said. “It was just a miracle to see this thing live.”
Irsay, 58, has been part of the Alcoholics Anonymous program for 25 years. He said he wanted to reveal himself as the buyer to help those dealing with alcohol addiction.
“The only way we stay sober is to give it away. I think it’ll help a lot of people,” Irsay said. “That’s the reason I’m doing it.”
The document, which is known as the “Big Book” to AA members, also features notes from the group’s founding members.
Irsay said he plans to display the document at the Alcoholics Anonymous headquarters in New York. He’s planning to build a special display so members can look and take inspiration from the words.
Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in 1935 in Akron, Ohio.