Why a quarterback in a Civil War uniform appeared on ‘Thursday Night Football’

Good news, everyone. Andrew Luck has returned from the war.

Er, scratch that. He’s actually returned to the prime-time spotlight from central California, where he serves as a part-time high school football coach away from the prying eyes of NFL fans.

He just happened to be wearing a Civil War uniform for the trip.

When did Andrew Luck retire?

Luck shocked the football world when he retired in August 2019. At 29 years old, he was expected to play for several more seasons and eventually claim a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“This was a generational quarterback. A quarterback on track for the Hall of Fame. A quarterback who’d just won the Associated Press NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award. A rare quarterback who seemed born to do what he was doing,” ESPN reported last year in a look back at Luck’s surprising decision to walk away.

At the time and in the years since, Luck linked his decision to walk away with his struggle to heal from on-field injuries. He talked about feeling lost during his last few seasons and disconnected from loved ones.

He grieves his career but also seems thankful it’s over. He told ESPN he doesn’t regret retiring but does regret leaving the Colts in the lurch.

Related

• Here’s why Andrew Luck just may be the best role model we have for parents and children

Where is Andrew Luck now?

Today, Luck lives with his family in Palo Alto, California. He’s returned to his alma mater, Stanford, to pursue a teaching degree and taken a job as a part-time high school football coach, according to The Mercury News.

Luck briefly spoke about his current adventures this week during a “Thursday Night Football” game between the San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants.

The quarterback came to the game dressed in a replica Civil War uniform in a nod to a famous social media account, “Capt. Andrew Luck,” created in his honor.

The account on X, formerly known as Twitter, played off the fact that Luck looks like he’s from another era and penned funny letters from the fictional Capt. Luck to his family.

“Dearest mother — I hope my appearance on the magical, moving picture box filled you with joy. As you could see, my resolve has never been more robust. Squirrel oil and your peppered chipmunk feet have kept me sturdy. Life is splendid. Give the cows my best. I love you. — Andrew,” the account said in a Friday post.

Thursday night, the real Luck spoke like he was actually a soldier.

“I’ve been great. The war is over. We are in greener pastures in California. Life’s quite good,” he said during the “Thursday Night Football” Amazon Prime broadcast, according to Fox 59 News.