Colts legend Andrew Luck explains his shock retirement in 5 words

Billy Heyen

Colts legend Andrew Luck explains his shock retirement in 5 words image

There isn't an Indianapolis Colts fan who doesn't know exactly where they were on August 24, 2019. The same is true for many fans of the NFL in general.

That night, Andrew Luck retired in one of the most shocking off-field moments in the league's history.

The former No. 1 overall pick was a star quarterback and just 29 years old. His decision was unprecedented.

Luck had played through immense pain for years, though, and he had to make a change.

Six years later, Luck spoke to The Athletic about his decision, and he summed up his retirement choice in five simple words:

"I fell out of love."

Injuries had robbed Luck of the joy that his favorite thing brought to him, and he needed to step away.

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In his absence, the Colts have struggled. They're 48-51 in the regular season season the retirement, with one playoff berth that resulted in a first-round loss.

Since Luck, the Colts have started Jacoby Brissett, Brian Hoyer, Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, Matt Ryan, Sam Ehlinger, Nick Foles, Gardner Minshew, Richardson and Joe Flacco at QB. Richardson is the only one to have made starts in multiple seasons.

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Luck is now the general manager of the Stanford football program, trying to bring his alma mater forward into this new, modern world of college football in which an academically focused program that plays in a conference based on the opposite coast has its work cut out for it.

But Luck is up for the task, because in his new gig, the love is back.

He doesn't regret his retirement, other than for how he didn't finish what he started. But now he's started something new, something that matters a whole heck of a lot to him, and he plans to see it out.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle