Craig Carton just placed the blame for the darkest day in modern Indianapolis Colts history squarely on general manager Chris Ballard.
Following new details on the exact circumstances of Andrew Luck’s retirement, Carton is demanding a change in the front office. Carton urged the Colts to fire Ballard immediately.
Did Chris Ballard’s Ultimatum Push Andrew Luck to Retire?
Luck shocked the football world by retiring weeks before the regular season began in Aug. 2019. According to former Colts tight end Eric Ebron, we now know that Ballard presented Luck with a strict offseason ultimatum regarding his health.
“He tells Andrew, ‘You’re either playing this year or we’re moving on,'” Ebron said of Ballard. “Andrew Luck now says, ‘I’m not gonna be ready. I’m tired of playing with pain. I retire.'”
Luck walked away from the game after throwing for over 4,500 yards and 39 touchdowns the previous year. Carton read Ebron’s account and unleashed a furious rant on his morning show “The Craig Carton Show” about the general manager’s negligence.
“The Colts had a franchise quarterback and the GM decided I’m going to be a tough guy with my franchise quarterback and send my franchise back 20 years by saying, ‘Hey, loser, either you play or we’re getting rid of you,'” Carton said.
“If I’m a Colts fan, I want blood. If I’m the Irsay relative, that’s the daughter, right, that’s running the squad, and I see this podcast interview with a former Colts player, I’m not waiting till Monday.
“Hey, Chris Ballard, you need to be in my office now, but I need to look you in the eye and you need to tell me, did you say to Andrew Luck either play or we’re moving on from you? If the answer is yes, then pack your bags.”
Carton argued that running a generational quarterback out of the building is an unforgivable sin. The radio veteran also pointed out that the franchise has spent the last seven years spinning its wheels in response to that exact front office failure.
It’s worth noting that Luck has since come out and shot down Ebron’s version of events.
“Chris and I had a wonderful partnership, especially through my decision to retire, and we remain close. Any notion of internal pressures that influenced my decision are without merit,” Luck told reporter Mike Chappell.
The Colts have cycled through a few veteran players and unproven rookies ever since Luck gave his emotional farewell press conference. Ballard brought in Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, and Matt Ryan in consecutive seasons. None of those moves yielded a deep playoff run.
Ballard drafted Anthony Richardson Sr. in 2023 to finally reset the clock. Richardson has shown flashes of brilliance but injuries and inconsistency have held him back. Daniel Jones, who signed a two-year, $88 million deal last month, had a breakthrough campaign with the Colts last season and may be Indy’s long-term solution.
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Jones finished last season with 3,101 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions, while also rushing for 5 TDs. He ranked fifth overall in PFSN’s NFL QB Impact metric with an 86.7 score and a B grade.
