Andrew Luck is back in football after a long hiatus -- and so is his online alter ego - ESPN

Two words the majority of chronically online sports fans instantly recognize: «Dearest mother.»

The phrase originates from a Twitter parody account from 2015 to 2019, and written in the style of letters from a Union soldier during the Civil War era, Capt. Andrew Luck delighted his social media followers with updates of his battles and the care packages he had received with items such as dried mouse ankles and sugared beaver tail.

The real Andrew Luck started at quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts for two seasons during that span, winning Comeback Player of the Year in 2018.

But when Luck announced his retirement from the NFL in August 2019, the page — @CaptAndrewLuck — retired, too, with some parting words that included this line: «I have made the decision to holster my sidearm permanently.»

Still, the phrase «Dearest mother» remained forever sealed in online sports lore.

«It was sad,» the author of the Capt. Luck account told ESPN. «But I felt like there was closure and there was no point really to keep it going.»

In November 2024, when the Stanford Cardinal hired Luck as football general manager to oversee the entire program, the former quarterback was back in the game — with a promotion in rank. Captain no more, Luck had leveled up to general.

The owner of the X account immediately thought to resurface the page.

«When the news came, that's how I found out, was through my phone going crazy,» said the owner of the account, who asked to remain anonymous and be identified only as a West Coast journalist. «And fans hitting me up and being like 'Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, you can bring it back now.' So yeah, of course I wanted to.»

Quickly, the account posted on X about its return, and one of social media's