Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay sent shockwaves around the NFL late Sunday night with the following tweet regarding retired quarterback Andrew Luck.
If any NFL Team,attempted to contact Andrew Luck (or any associate of him)… to play for their Franchise – it would be a clear Violation of the League’s Tampering Policy.
— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) May 8, 2023
Irsay’s tweet came on the heels of an ESPN story from John Keim regarding Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell.
What would a story about Howell have to do with Luck and Jim Irsay, you ask?
In referencing Washington’s wide-ranging search for a solution at quarterback last offseason, Keim said the following:
Even so, they didn’t feel the same urgency they did last offseason, when they called every team that might have a quarterback available. They even phoned about retired Andrew Luck, just in case.
That was enough for Irsay to send out the tweet and have the NFL look into possible tampering by the Commanders regarding the retired quarterback. The Colts still own the rights to Luck, and even though he has no interest in returning to football, any interested team would need to go through the Colts — not Luck or his camp.
What wasn’t included in Keim’s story — and this is important — was who the Commanders contacted about Luck. Was it Luck himself, his father [former NFL QB Oliver Luck], or his uncle, Will Wilson — who was his agent when he played?
According to Mark Maske of Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post, it was none of the above.
The Commanders did not contact Luck, his father or his uncle who has served as his agent, according to a person within Luck’s camp. However, a person familiar with the Colts’ position said the team wants the NFL to determine whether there was improper contact through intermediaries. The Colts do not want the situation to be dismissed without being properly investigated, according to that person.
