In a surprising move, Andrew Luck informed the Indianapolis Colts that he was retiring on Saturday night.

Luck, who turns 30 on September 12, met with Colts owner Jim Irsay earlier in the day and told him that he was retiring because constant injuries has taken away his love for the game.

The Colts were playing their third preseason game on Saturday night in Indianapolis against the Chicago Bears when news started to break that Luck was retiring.  He had already been ruled out of the game due to an ankle injury but was on the sidelines along with his teammates.

As the game ended, and he left the field, fans who had heard the reports started to reign down boos at the quarterback.  The QB didn’t lie, he heard the boos and said, “it hurt.”

An official announcement was to come on Sunday afternoon but following the game Luck held an impromptu news conference and made his retirement decision known.  Had the news not broken during the game he would not of held the gathering after the preseason action.

"I've been stuck in this process," he said, stopping several times to overcome his emotions.  "I haven't been able to live the life I want to live.  It's taken the joy out of this game ... the only way forward for me is to remove myself from football."

He also stated, "I know I am unable to pour my heart and soul into this position... And it's sad, but I also have a lot of clarity in this," he said during a postgame press conference.

Luck has spent most of this year dealing with a calf injury that eventually led to the ankle injury, but the Colts were optimistic he would return and be ready for Week 1 of the regular season.

In 2018, Luck was named the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year after missing the entire 2017 campaign due to a shoulder injury, as well as a kidney and rib injuries.  He returned to Pro Bowl form and lead the Colts to the playoffs last season.

Luck told the media Saturday night that he first started thinking about retiring a couple weeks ago.  “I’m in pain.  I’m still in pain,” he said.

Luck would play in 86 career games, throwing for 23,671 yards with 171 touchdowns and 83 interceptions.  When he was selected in the NFL Draft, out of Stanford, he was hailed as one of the greatest quarterback prospects since John Elway, and he made four Pro Bowls in six years.

With the stunning announcement, Jacoby Brissett will inherit the Colts’ top quarterback position as the team moves towards the 2019 NFL regular season.  Brissett started in 15 games for Indianapolis, throwing for 3,098 yards with 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

This is a big hit to a roster that had many people believing they could make a run for the Super Bowl.

I can understand that the fans were hurt by his decision, but the man has to take care of himself so that he can live and make money to provide for his family.

Hopefully, once he has healed up, Luck will regain his passion for the game and want to return to the NFL.  He is still young enough that he could back in for a few more years.