Andrew Luck was back with the Colts, if just for one night

The reserved and normally out of the spotlight quarterback made a rare public appearance back with his former team.

Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts were back to being said in the same breath, and it wasn’t just to rehash his infamous retirement or for fans to wishfully think about him returning to lead the team. Luck returned to participate in Chuck Pagano’s Chuckstrong Tailgate Gala which helps raise money for the Indiana University Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center. It was his first public appearance back with the team in any capacity since he was run out of town on a rail during the dark day that marked his sudden and shocking retirement announcement. It sounds like things are starting to be on the mend as Luck was all smiles.

Stephen Holder of ESPN reported that although Luck hasn’t been in the public eye, it doesn’t mean he has cut off all ties to the city that made him the first pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Luck has kept a low profile since his retirement and moved from Indianapolis to Northern California…

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 seemingly enjoyed his time in Indianapolis. One particular moment didn’t lead to his departure. He simply reached a point where he couldn’t physically or mentally take the toll that the NFL was dolling out.

“I certainly feel like Indianapolis is a massive part of the fabric of who I am and where life has gone and highs and the lows and everything in between,” Luck said. “It feels very real. So, yeah, I certainly feel the love, in a sense, from the city, and I hope people know it’s reciprocal. We love this place.”

It almost makes the situation worse on some level. We could get behind the concept that Luck hated his time in Indianapolis or had a falling out or major disagreement with a coach or teammate that prompted him to leave town. Unfortunately, we have seen that before with the Pacers. It stinks, but we understand that type of pain. Watching a player be so beat down and defeated was not the way we wanted to see Luck go out.

When fans booed Luck, I want to believe it was more because they didn’t like the timing of the decision and what his departure meant for the team, not that they had anything against him personally. It is impossible to fully separate the two things, however, akin to trying to fully separate an egg white from the yolk.

Hopefully, now, as more time has passed, fans will be able to welcome Andrew Luck back to the only team he ever knew. He was supposed to be the torch bearer and leader for the franchise. Since he left, things haven’t been able to get on track. Those things aren’t on Luck anymore though. That is way beyond him. Hopefully, fans can start to move beyond that as well.