INDIANAPOLIS —The Indianapolis Colts announced today that quarterback Andrew Luck, who underwent surgery to his throwing shoulder in January and had been trying to work his way back to the field since, will be placed on Injured Reserve, meaning he will not practice or play for the rest of the 2017 season.
Luck on Thursday told Colts.com that he's "very optimistic" about his future, however.
"I wish I was better and 100 percent this season, but that's not the case," Luck said. "I know I'll be better from this. I know I'll be a better quarterback, teammate, person and player from this, and I'm excited for the future."
Luck, who missed the 2017 offseason workout program, training camp, preseason and the first few weeks of the regular season, was able to return to practice, albeit in a very limited role, on Oct. 4 and 6, when he went through individual drills and threw some routes to receivers against air.
The next week, Luck was able to increase his workload a little bit by facing a live defense for the first time this year, as he took a few snaps as the scout team quarterback in 7-on-7 drills.
But on Oct. 18, Colts general manager Chris Ballard announced Luck would be held out of practice after he had a cortisone injection to address some soreness in his surgically-repaired right shoulder. Luck wasn't able to return to the practice field since that time.
Ballard said on Monday, in an appearance on 1070 The Fan's Colts Roundtable Live, that the team and Luck "wanted to start getting some answers" after the cortisone shots didn't work as intended; the quarterback had, in turn, "gone to a couple other doctors just to get some opinions to see where we're at."
"Andrew's exhausted every avenue to try to get ready and get back and play, and that was our hope, also," Ballard told the Colts' Bob Lamey.
Head coach Chuck Pagano echoed those sentiments on Monday when asked about Luck seeking additional opinions on his shoulder.
"We're going to exhaust all resources because the best interest is the player," Pagano said. "It's long-term and we said that. It's for the next 10, 12 years for this guy and for any player. Before we put anybody out there, we're going to make sure he's right so we're going to stick to that process.
"We want the kid healthy," Pagano continued. "Nobody is more frustrated than him. He wants to be out there with his teammates badly. It isn't fun for anybody, but it is what it is so we'll just keep plugging away."
