On Friday night, Andrew Luck made his long-awaited return to Indianapolis for the 12th annual Chuckstrong Tailgate Gala.
Luck has been away from Indianapolis since his retirement in August 2019.
During this Friday’s gala, Colts owner Jim Irsay said he’d donate $1 million to cancer research if Chuck Pagano and Andrew Luck could knock down 16 pictures with a football in 60 seconds.
Even though Luck has been out of the NFL since 2018, he proved that he’s still very accurate. With roughly 10 seconds remaining on the clock, he made two elite throws to ensure that Irsay will make a $1 million donation.
A video of Luck and Pagano pulling off this feat surfaced on social media. As you’d expect, NFL fans went crazy over the former No. 1 pick’s performance.
“Andrew Luck still got some velocity behind those throws,” one fan tweeted.
Another fan said, “Luck can walk back to the NFL and be a top 10 qb immediately.”
“The velocity on those Luck throws, the accuracy, the clutch gene,” a third fan wrote. “This was supposed to be our goat.”
#Colts owner @JimIrsay is unbelievable!
He donated $1MILLION DOLLARS to Cancer research tonight if Chuck Pagano and Andrew Luck could knock down all the boards in 60 seconds. Mission accomplished 💯
This video is OUTSTANDING!! 🤣🤣🔥🔥@WISH_TV pic.twitter.com/4rjyipT0Fk
— Anthony Calhoun 📺 (@ACwishtv) April 13, 2024
While at Friday’s gala, Luck had a heartfelt message for Pagano, who coached him from 2012-2017.
“Football gave me a lot,” Luck said. “Most importantly, again, the relationships and the experiences with people that I love, like Chuck. I think part of me feels — and I don’t mean this in a cheesy way — but part of me feels like it’s my turn to give back into this game, and this is what feels right at this moment.”
Colts fans are hopeful they’ll see Luck in Indianapolis at some point this fall.