Andrew Luck -- Colts career 'not perfect,' still 'feel the love' in Indianapolis - ESPN

INDIANAPOLIS — As he walked off the field for the final time, Andrew Luck was holding in a complex mix of emotions.

His stunning decision to retire in August 2019 had just become public during the fourth quarter of an Indianapolis Colts preseason game, and Luck was suddenly being showered with boos as he headed for the locker room at Lucas Oil Stadium.

But on Friday, when Luck made one of his first public appearances in Indianapolis since that evening, those memories were far away. Luck acknowledged a complicated tenure with the team but said he came away with mostly fond memories.

«We were not perfect,» said Luck, the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NFL draft. «I know I was not perfect. All of us wished we'd had multiple Super Bowls and done things and sort of vanquished some of those enemies that we didn't quite ever get to. But I could probably speak for all the other guys, and I know I could speak for myself again — it wasn't perfect, but we tried our best. We tried our hardest, and I hope we gave folks something to cheer about and something to be proud of. And I do get the sense that we [did].»

Luck was back at Colts headquarters Friday night to participate in former coach Chuck Pagano's Chuckstrong Tailgate Gala, a fundraiser for the Indiana University Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center. Pagano, who famously underwent treatment for leukemia during Luck's rookie season, personally invited Luck.

Luck has kept a low profile since his retirement and moved from Indianapolis to Northern California, where he is enrolled in graduate school at his alma mater, Stanford.

Although he still makes frequent trips to Indianapolis to visit friends — he and his wife, Nicole, have even retained their Indianapolis 500 tickets, he said — Luck