Colts Great Andrew Luck Says He Never Felt Desire to Come Out of Retirement From NFL

Tim Capurso | Apr 13, 2024

Former Colts quarterback Andrew Luck is interviewed Friday, April 12, 2024, during the Chuckstrong / Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY

During his first public appearance in Indianapolis since announcing his retirement from the NFL in August of 2019, former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck said that he has never felt the desire to return to playing football.

"When I retired, that part of it was put to bed in my mind in a very simple, sort of direct way,” Luck said, speaking to reporters at the 12th annual Chuckstrong Tailgate Gala at the Colts facility on Friday night. “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.”

Over the course of six playing seasons, Luck suffered torn cartilage in his ribs, a partially torn abdomen, a lacerated kidney, multiple concussions and a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder that cost him the entire 2017 campaign.

Luck, in a 2022 interview with ESPN, explained that the physical and mental toll of injuries, as well as the emotional toll of being a franchise quarterback, ultimately led to his retirement, which shocked the sports world.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft, Luck threw for 23,631 yards, 171 touchdowns and 83 interceptions while compiling a 53-33 career record as a starter in Indianapolis.

Luck, who attended Stanford, was named as an inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame back in January of 2022.