Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay issued a warning to other NFL teams over possible tampering involving former quarterback Andrew Luck after a report over the weekend revealed the Washington Commanders had reached out last season before trading for Carson Wentz.
Irsay took to Twitter on Sunday to issue a blanket statement warning any team from contacting Luck about a potential NFL return.
Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay watches warmups prior to the Steelers game at Heinz Field on Oct. 26, 2014, in Pittsburgh. (Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
“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,” his tweet read.
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Luck, 33, retired in 2019 after seven years in the league, all with the Colts. The surprise announcement came just before the season start and with three years still remaining on Luck’s contract.
However, Irsay’s tweet was seemingly directed at an ESPN report about the Commanders‘ commitment this season to second-year signal caller Sam Howell.
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Quarterback Sam Howell, of the Washington Commanders, drops back to pass against the Dallas Cowboys at FedExField on Jan. 8, 2023, in Landover, Maryland. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)
In the report, John Keim writes, “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. They ultimately traded two third-round picks to Indianapolis for Carson Wentz and his $28 million cap hit.”
Because of Luck’s contract and the timing of his retirement, any team wanting to have a conversation with him about a possible return would have to go through the Colts – but Irsay was seemingly unaware of any conversations last season.
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ESPN reported separately that a source within the Colts organization said the team is unclear about the nature of the conversations but is looking into whether any tampering did occur.
Andrew Luck, of the Indianapolis Colts, runs with the ball against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on Dec. 30, 2018, in Nashville. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
In August, Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross was suspended by the league and docked two draft picks following the NFL’s lengthy investigation into tampering allegations between 2019-2022 involving improper conversations with Tom Brady and Sean Payton and accusations that former head coach Brian Flores was instructed to lose games intentionally.
Ross was also ordered to pay a $1.5 million fine as a result of the NFL’s investigation.
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