Andrew Luck returned to Indianapolis on Friday, nearly five years after he shocked the football world by announcing his retirement at the age of 29. As Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star writes, Luck was in town for the 12th annual Chuckstrong Tailgate Gala, a fundraising event for cancer research held by former Colts head coach Chuck Pagano (Luck’s first HC as a pro).
Since Luck left the league, his name has naturally popped up now and again on PFR pages. Even after the first two seasons of the post-Luck era were in the books, Colts owner Jim Irsay was still holding out hope that the No. 1 overall pick of the 2012 draft would return, and the Commanders briefly discussed a Luck pursuit in the 2022 offseason (a discussion which led to a brief tampering controversy, as Indianapolis still controls Luck’s rights).
All of those reports have suggested that Luck did not waver in his retirement decision. Then-HC Frank Reich said in 2020 that he did not expect Luck to return to the field, and longtime Colts receiver T.Y. Hilton said in 2021 that his former teammate was having “the time of his life” in retirement.
And, during this past Friday’s fundraiser, we heard straight from the (former) horse’s mouth that Luck never felt the urge to unretire and resume his playing career.
“When I retired, that part of it was put to bed in my mind in a very simple, sort of direct way,” Luck said. “There were a lot of complications around it, you know, certainly tormented inside, as you guys saw that night, but I think that part of it has stayed.”
The “torment” he references — which was evident in his press conference announcing his retirement — stemmed from the fact that he still loved the sport, the competition, and his teammates. However, as Erickson succinctly puts it, Luck’s career had become “a cycle of pain, injury and rehab that he did not want to pursue anymore.”
That said, Luck does feel that he owes a debt to football. “I have certainly realized I still love this game, and I want to have it integrated in my life,” Luck said. “It’s just, it’s got to be different. Football gave me a lot. A lot. Most importantly, again, the relationships and the experiences with people that I loved. … I think part of me feels, and I don’t mean this in a cheesy way, but part of me feels like, you know, it’s my turn to give back to this game.”
The Stanford product returned to school to obtain a master’s degree in education, which he hopes to use in youth sports in some fashion. To that end, he serves as a part-time coach for Palo Alto High, though it is unclear if he ultimately wants to pursue coaching on a full-time basis.
At a time when 46-year-old Tom Brady is contemplating the possibility of a second “un-retirement,” and when other players like Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson, and Matthew Stafford — who are all older than the 34-year-old Luck — are still starting-caliber options, a four-time Pro Bowler who walked away in the prime of a potential Hall of Fame career explains that he never considered coming back. If nothing else, that underscores the magnitude of the emotional and physical beating that Luck endured during his final several years as an active player.
Although his retirement decision was clearly a difficult one, the peace that Luck was quickly able to make with it suggests that it was also the right one.
He didn’t have the heart or drive . 10 yrs from now no one will even talk about him . Waiste of talent
He recognized that he already made life changing money and didn’t want to be a cripple in his 40s. Maybe a waste of talent, but not a waste of a person.
The only reason Andrew Luck is being talked about is because of this article. An article where at the base Luck made an appearance at a fundraising event for cancer research.
Think about it, he is not seeking attention to say that a return to the field is out of the question, like some other retired signal caller might do.
When you are sacked 40+ times a year then you can throw stones. He didn’t want to get killed!
He definitely had the heart and drive. He didn’t have the willpower. And why should he? Why put himself through another season of being beaten up behind a revolving door of crappy offensive lineman that leads to inevitable injury? I don’t blame him.
He took a real beating back there. It is sad that he never got to play longer but it’s refreshing to see someone realize that the game isn’t good for him and to walk away without his brains being totally scrambled.
Takes a lot of sac to walk away from something you love but know is destroying you.
What a truly ignorant opinion you have here.
WHO CARES
Too no one’s shock, save for the league’s dumbest teams and thirsty media pundits.
$100M+ in earnings and enjoying retirement. Good for him.
Was stud QB who was wasted on bad Colt teams and he had enough. Stanford guy, smart dude, gave it his all and knows football is only 1 part of Life. Good Luck Luck
So those 1st overall picks from Stanford: Luck, Elway and Plunkett aren’t planning a comeback? Can we get an update on Bobby Garrett’s plans?
Uh…hate to break it to you, but he died.