Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck has retired from American Football at the age of 29 because he was stuck in a "cycle" of pain and rehab for four years.
Luck was the first pick in the 2012 NFL Draft for the Indianapolis Colts and went onto appear in four Pro Bowls. However, he suffered an injury to his shoulder in 2015, which resulted in him missing the 2017 season.
He holds the NFL record for the most passing yards by a rookie quarterback when threw the ball 4,374 yards in 2012.
Luck said he had planned to announce his retirement on Sunday, but felt compelled to break the news earlier following a pre-season loss to the Chicago Bears. Speaking in a press conference, the 29-year-old said, "I'm in pain, I'm still in pain. It's been four years of this pain, rehab cycle."
"It's a myriad of issues - calf strain, posterior ankle impingement, high ankle sprain. Part of my journey going forward will be figuring out how to feel better. Honestly, it's the hardest decision of my life, but it is the right decision for me. And it's been unceasing and unrelenting, both in-season and in the off-season.
"I felt stuck in it, and the only way I see out is to no longer play football. It's taken my joy of this game away. I haven't been able to live the life I want to live."
The Indianapolis Colts fans booed Andrew Luck after finding out the news following the defeat the Bears. The 29-year-old was asked if he had noticed, "yeah, I'd be lying if I didn't say I heard the reaction. Yeah, it hurt. I'll be honest. It hurt."
The Indianapolis Colts haven't been Super Bowl Champions since beating the Chicago Bears at Super Bowl XLI in 2006. Their 2019 Regular Season starts by traveling to California to take on the LA Chargers at the Dignity Health Sports Park on September 8th.
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