Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck stunned the NFL world late Saturday, confirming he was retiring from the sport at the age of 29.
Luck has suffered a litany of injuries throughout his career and looked set to miss the start of the 2020 season, which begins in just two weeks.
“This is the hardest decision of my life,” he told reporters at a hastily arranged news conference after the Colts’ preseason victory over the Bears.
News of the decision leaked during the game and spread quickly on social media as Luck stood on the sidelines of LucasOil stadium.
Before he spoke, Luck was booed off the field by the Indianapolis fans who had hailed him as their hero for the last seven years. Luck entered the 2012 NFL draft as one of the most heralded prospects in history. Fans across the league urged struggling teams to “suck for Luck.”
With their own superstar and franchise QB Peyton Manning injured at the time, the Colts did just that. With Luck in place Manning was gone.
It was a decision that seemed a no brainer almost every time Luck took the field, but ultimately it became too much of a struggle.
“I’m in pain, I’m still in pain. It’s been four years of this pain, rehab cycle,” Luck said. “It’s a myriad of issues — calf strain, posterior ankle impingement, high ankle sprain. Part of my journey going forward will be figuring out how to feel better.”
He played with shoulder pain for most of 2015 and 2016, and his 2015 season ended when he suffered a lacerated kidney. He missed all of 2017 following shoulder surgery and then the happy-go-lucky former Stanford star dealt with more pain and more endless months of rehab.
Luck led the Colts to the playoffs in each of his first three seasons and to the AFC championship game after the 2014 season — without missing a start. But a subpar offensive line struggled to keep Luck upright and in 2015, the shoulder and kidney injuries forced him to miss nine games. The Colts finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs.
In 2016, after Luck opted not to have shoulder surgery, then coach Chuck Pagano gave Luck extra days off to try and keep him healthy. Luck made 15 starts that season though the Colts again finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs.
While Luck had surgery for a partially torn labrum in January 2017, he never felt right and after throwing for two weeks in the fall was shut down for the rest of the season.
Last year, Luck looked like his old self. Then came the mysterious calf-ankle injury that again never felt quite right.
So after marrying his longtime girlfriend this spring and now awaiting the birth of his first child, Luck called it quits.
“I am going to retire,” he said. “This is not an easy decision. It’s the hardest decision of my life. But it is the right decision for me.”
Associated Press contributed.