![\"Andrew](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-455374130-e1775239219216.jpg\")
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Former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck recorded 23,671 yards passing and 185 total touchdowns in his six year career.<\/p>\n
Many Indianapolis Colts<\/a> fans are looking forward to the team\u2019s 2026 campaign. After an 8-2 record to begin the 2025 season, there is a lot of optimism about what this team can accomplish in year two<\/a> of the Daniel Jones era.<\/p>\n Despite not making the playoffs, last season could be considered the most successful Colts\u2019 season since Andrew Luck retired in 2019. For many Colts\u2019 fans, since Luck\u2019s shocking announcement following the 2018 season, it has felt like the team has been chasing his ghost. Indy has cycled through 12 different<\/a> starting signal callers over seven seasons.<\/p>\n And now, as Daniel Jones climbs back from an Achilles injury<\/a> and looks to cement himself as the new face of the franchise, a bold new claim<\/a> has just come out about the past face of the franchise.\u00a0<\/p>\n Eric Ebron Claims That Andrew Luck Was Forced into an Ultimatum by Chris Ballard<\/p>\n Former Colts TE Eric Ebron claims that Chris Ballard gave Andrew Luck an ultimatum that may have pushed him to retire\u2026 how is nobody talking about this?!<\/p>\n It\u2019s just one claim from one guy, but this is DAMNING on Chris Ballard if true.<\/p>\n Tbh, someone oughta ask him about this. <\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Former Colts tight end Eric Ebron claimed on his podcast, On My Soul, that Andrew Luck\u2019s retirement was fueled by an ultimatum that general manager Chris Ballard made him. For context, Luck won Comeback Player of the Year<\/a> in 2018 after missing all of 2017 due to a lingering labrum issue<\/a> from a previous shoulder surgery he had undergone. Then, in the 2019 offseason, it was revealed he was dealing with a new grade-three high ankle sprain<\/a> injury. As the 2019 season approached, surgery was becoming an option for Luck and the Colts to consider. This is where Ebron allegedly reveals new information that took place behind the scenes.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAndrew then decides, he doesn\u2019t tell anybody this, he\u2019s so tired of injury and just doesn\u2019t want to do surgery,\u201d Ebron states.<\/a> \u201cYou know who the man is around there who gets on everybody\u2019s nerves. Big drawers over there behind that desk [Chris Ballard]\u2026He tells Andrew, \u2018You\u2019re either playing this year, or we\u2019re moving on.\u2019\u201d This information would slightly reframe Luck\u2019s retirement as it may have been the straw that truly broke the camel\u2019s back.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n GettyAndrew Luck stated in his retirement press conference, \u201cI\u2019ve been stuck in this process. I haven\u2019t been able to live the life I want to live. Taken the joy out of the game, and after 2016, when I played in pain and was unable to regularly practice, I made a vow to myself that I would not go down that path again.\u201d<\/p>\n There has been no confirmation or denial about these claims Ebron has made, so it remains to be seen if Ballard or anyone from the Colts responds. Former Colts linebacker Shaquille Leonard was on the call, and even he reacted with, \u201cThat\u2019s crazy, I didn\u2019t even know that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Ballard has been a point of contempt among Colts fans, as during his nine-year tenure, the team has never won an AFC South title. However, Indy is hoping for that to change next season.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Sense of Urgency Has Never Been Higher For Chris Ballard<\/p>\n Following the Colts\u2019 late-season collapse, there was a belief that owner Carli Irsay-Gordon could potentially move on from Chris Ballard, head coach Shane Steichen, or both. Irsay-Gordon ultimately opted to run it back with both parties. At the team\u2019s end-of-season press conference,<\/a> Irsay-Gordon clarified how she came to that decision. \u201cWe were all encouraged by our first half; we experienced a lot of progress. Which gives us optimism for the future and the direction we are heading,\u201d Irsay-Gordon stated.<\/a> \u201cGiving them another opportunity means that the sense of urgency for them to deliver and perform has never been higher.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Andrew](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-1163776988.jpg\")
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