Colts Unveli New Banner Thanking Andrew Luck Outside Lucas Oil Stadium
Andrew Luck may have retired from the NFL, but his banner outside of Lucas Oil Stadium isn't leaving anytime soon.
On Thursday, the Indianapolis Colts unveiled a touched-up Luck banner with the message "thank you for the memories," replacing the old banner in the same spot on the outside north wall of the stadium.
Luck, 29, was set to enter his eighth season with the Colts, who selected him with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2012 draft out of Stanford. He led the Colts to the playoffs in his first three seasons, including the 2014 AFC Championship Game. A shoulder injury in Week 3 of the 2015 season was the first of a long list of ailments Luck has suffered since, which includes a torn cartilage in two ribs and a lacerated kidney.
Luck missed the entire 2017 season while dealing with a shoulder injury before rebounding with a fourth Pro Bowl year in 2018, throwing for 4,593 yards and 39 touchdowns while leading the Colts back to the playoffs.
Currently battling a high left ankle injury that was first diagnosed as a calf strain, Luck ultimately decided to make "the hardest decision of my life," and announced his retirement in an emotional press conference Saturday night.
"I’ve been stuck in this process," Luck said. "I haven’t been able to live the life I want to live. It’s taken the joy out of this game. After 2016 when I played in pain, and wasn’t regularly able to practice, I made a vow I wouldn’t go down that path again. The only way forward is to remove myself from this cycle. I came to the proverbial fork in the road, and made a vow if I ever did again I would choose me, in a sense."
On Monday, Colts coach Frank Reich said he did not think Luck let the team down by deciding to retire two weeks before the start of the NFL season.
"Andrew did the right thing," Reich said. "He did the right thing for himself and the right thing for the team. He did the courageous thing and the honorable thing."
Backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett is set to start for the Colts' season opener against the Chargers on Sept. 8.
