Former Stanford QB Andrew Luck announces retirement from NFL

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck announced Saturday afternoon that he is walking away from the NFL at age 29.

“I am going to retire,” he said at a press conference after the Colts’ 27-17 loss to the Chicago Bears. “This is not an easy decision. It’s the hardest decision of my life. But it is the right decision for me.”

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the news during the fourth quarter of the game.

Luck has struggled to recover from a lower left leg injury.

Luck’s former coach and current Bears defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano made his first return to Lucas Oil Stadium since he was fired as the Colts’ head coach following the 2017 season. Luck did not play that season because he was recovering from surgery on his throwing shoulder.

He returned last season and led the Colts back to the playoffs for the first time in four years, winning the league’s Comeback Player of the Year award.

But in March, he suffered a strained left calf, was held out of all of the team’s offseason workouts and returned on a limited basis for three practices at training camp in July. Lingering pain forced him back to the sideline and the Colts later determined that he had an injury near the back of his left ankle.

Luck said he “felt stuck” in a cycle of injury, pain and rehab that had taken the joy out of football for him.

Coach Frank Reich had said he hoped to have an answer about Luck’s availability for the Sept. 8 season opener after the third preseason game.

Jacoby Brissett, who also didn’t play Saturday, will take over as the starter.