Star quarterback shocks NFL, retires at age 29

Andrew Luck said constant injuries have taken the joy out of playing professional football. “For the last four years or so, I’ve been in this cycle of injury, pain, rehab … and it’s been unceasing, unrelenting,” the Indianapolis Colts quarterback said following his team’s preseason loss to the Chicago Bears Saturday night. Luck struggled through the 2015 and 2016 seasons and missed the entire 2017 campaign with shoulder problems. Last year he was one of the highest-rated quarterbacks in the NFL, but a recent injury to his left calf meant he would either have to play in pain or miss most of this season.

What does he stand to lose? Colts owner Jim Irsay said Luck could have earned as much as $500 million if he stayed in the game as long as quarterbacks Brett Favre, Tom Brady, or Peyton Manning, Luck’s predecessor in Indianapolis.

What’s next? Luck plans to travel the world, put his architectural degree from Stanford University to use, and continue his Andrew Luck Book Club. He married former Stanford gymnast Nicole Pechanec in March, and they are expecting their first child.