Andrew Luck reveals shoulder injury from 2016 snowboarding accident

Andrew Luck started on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, returning after missing all of last season as he recovered from labrum surgery.

But shoulder injuries are nothing new for the No. 1 pick in 2012, and he revealed another one in a recent injury.

Luck had 2016 snowboarding accident

Luck chatted with NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport this week, and revealed that in the winter of 2016, a snowboarding accident in Colorado left him with an AC joint injury in his right throwing shoulder.

Luck had suffered a labrum tear and lacerated kidney just months earlier, during the 2015 season, but still went snowboarding. He said he informed the Colts of the injury as soon as it happened.

Stephen Holder, a Colts beat reporter for The Athletic, tweeted that he’d heard a rumor of this story “more than a year ago, and we later learned there was truth to it. Couldn’t nail down context so we decided not to reveal it.”

As Holder notes, AC joint injury or not, Luck went on to throw for 4,240 yards and 31 touchdowns in 2016, so the quarterback likely wasn’t impacted.

AC joint didn’t impact other injuries

Luck was adamant that the snowboarding injury didn’t impact his rehab from the posterior labrum tear surgery, which is what kept him out for the 2017 season.

“I don’t snowboard anymore. And this was after the initial (labrum) injury. I went back, rehabbed it with the Colts. I’ve had a bunch of AC sprains, both left and right shoulder, and resolved that issue. But the labrum has been my issues, was my issue, what I worked through, what I got surgery on.”

Luck, who celebrates his 29th birthday on Wednesday, said none of the doctors he’s visited believe the AC strain affected his labrum recovery.

“I’ve seen more doctors than I can count on both hands over the past two or three years, and the consensus – unanimous – is that the AC is not an issue, nor did it have an effect. The labrum is an issue,” he said.

The acromioclavicular joint, or AC joint, is where the collarbone meets the highest point of the shoulder blade; it is usually what’s injured during a shoulder separation. The labrum is soft tissue that surrounds the socket where the top of the humerus, or upper-arm bone, meets the glenoid, the shallow socket in the shoulder blade.

Rocky start

Luck’s second pass attempt of the day against Cincinnati was an interception, not exactly the beginning he probably envisioned for his first game back.

But before that, Luck said his extended time away had benefits.

“It made me realize I love football and I love playing it,” Luck said. “I love my teammates. It stinks when you can’t do something. I do think I’ve gained a different appreciation. I’m much happier playing it than I was. … I was very emotional before the first preseason game. I’ll try to keep it in check, but I’ve also learned it’s important to just let things go and let it happen. I know I’ll be excited. I know that.”

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