Former Colts Star Player Exposes GM Chris Ballard For Allegedly Forcing Andrew Luck To Retire With Nasty Ultimatum
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
Former tight end Eric Ebron is making some shocking claims about the way Andrew Luck suddenly retired. Luck retired at the age of 29 in 2019, just weeks before the start of the 2019 NFL season.
The former Indianapolis Colts quarterback cited a cycle of persistent injuries, pain, and the mental toll of rehabilitation as the reasons for his early departure. Before he could announce that, the news would come out, and Colts fans would boo him off the field.
Unfortunately, they did not have the real story of what happened during that period that led to his early retirement.
Eric Ebron Blames The Actions of GM Chris Ballard for Andrew Luck’s Retirement
Andrew Luck retired before his 30th birthday in 2019. Luck was just in the middle of his prime, having won Comeback Player of the Year honors in 2018. During an interview last year, Luck was asked if Indianapolis ever called him about coming out of retirement.
“Zero, so I had zero chances to say no (to the Colts),” Luck told legendary radio host Rome.
Eric Ebron, a former Colts tight end, has an interesting theory involving Luck’s retirement. He stated general manager Chris Ballard played an important role. Ebron claimed team management gave Andrew Luck a strict ultimatum regarding his lower leg injury in the summer of 2019.
The former Pro Bowl tight end alleged Ballard told the star quarterback to either play through the pain or pack his bags. Andrew Luck chose retirement. The team has faltered ever since.
Former Colts TE Eric Ebron claims that Chris Ballard gave Andrew Luck an ultimatum that may have pushed him to retire… how is nobody talking about this?!
It’s just one claim from one guy, but this is DAMNING on Chris Ballard if true.
Tbh, someone oughta ask him about this. pic.twitter.com/wnuoH1gOiT
— Justin Aufiero (@JustinRTBColts) April 3, 2026
Indianapolis’ last playoff win was on January 5, 2019, when they defeated the Houston Texans 21-7 in the AFC Wild Card round. They have also been through a number of quarterbacks to try to find one to replace him ever since.
Andrew Luck finished his NFL career with 23,671 passing yards.
