Last week, former Indianapolis Colts tight end Eric Ebron was on a podcast and, in part, discussed his view of how Andrew Luck's career came to an end in Indy. Ebron said the fault mostly lay with general manager Chris Ballard. Now, Luck is pushing back on Ebron's suggestion.
The bottom line in the situation comes down to who one believes more: Ebron or Luck? What complicates matters is that Ebron doesn't have much to gain from saying anything inflammatory while Luck's reputation is somewhat at stake, as well as Ballard's.
According to longtime Colts reporter Mike Chappell, Luck said, "Chris (Ballard) and I had a wonderful partnership, especially through my decision to retire, and we remain close. Any notion of internal pressures that influenced my decision are without merit."
Andrew Luck pushes back on Eric Ebron's view of the quarterback's relationship with the Indianapolis Colts
Seems clear enough, but it is also obvious that Luck isn't the kind of person to jump on Ebron's accusation against the organization by saying his teammate of one season in 2018 was accurate. The former quarterback is simply taking the high road, as one of good standing is likely to do.
For Colts fans, it gets complicated, too. When Ebron played for the team for two years in the late-2010s, his attitude was mercurial. He could be productive, but some accused him of pouting when things weren't going his way. Maybe he harbors ill will against his former employer.
But Chris Ballard also comes across as quite arrogant in interviews and press conferences sometimes, and one can imagine him telling an injured Luck in 2019 that the quarterback either plays or the team is moving on. This is what Ebron said happened. Coincidentally, it was Luck who decided to move on by retiring in August 2019, just weeks before the start of the season.
What is also interesting is that, as much as anyone knows, after current QB1 Daniel Jones was injured in Week 14 of last season and forced to miss the rest of the season, the team called long-retired Philip Rivers to see if he could be the new starting quarterback for the rest of the season, not Andrew Luck.
The issue is that while Luck had been retired longer than Rivers, who retired in 2020, the former is still only 36 years old, while Rivers is now 44. Sure, Rivers and head coach Shane Steichen have a relatively close relationship, but physically, the more logical choice to take over for a few games would be the younger and stronger-armed Luck.
Maybe Eric Ebron really is just talking to be talking, and maybe Andrew Luck is telling the complete truth. No verification can truly be known, and the Indianapolis Colts would certainly back Luck, but the scenario for fans might simply come down to who one believes more.