Andrew Luck, the former Indianapolis Colts quarterback is now a father. NFL Network reported just days before Thanksgiving that Luck’s wife, Nicole, gave birth to a daughter named Lucy on Nov. 12. Luck announced earlier this year that he and Nicole were expecting a child, telling CBS affiliate, WTHR in Indianapolis he is “really excited, but terrified.”
“It’s probably the most exciting/terrifying thought or idea and it certainly feels more real every day,” Luck said on WTHR per the Indianapolis Star. “I hope I could do all right. (There are) a lot of people to lean on for advice and we’ll see what happens.”
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Luck married Nicole Pechanec in March in the Czech Republic. The two met while attending Stanford University and have been together for more than 10 years. Pechanec was born in New Jersey to Czechoslovakian parents. She moved the Chez Republic at 15 years old to focus on gymnastics, but returned to the United States to attend Stanford and was captain of the gymnastics team where she appeared in two NCAA finals.
While Luck was playing, she helped him recover from a shoulder injury he suffered that caused him to miss the entire 2017 season.
Jacoby Brissett, Frank Reich and Chris Ballard are just some of the #Colts who still keep in close touch with new father Andrew Luck. Luck’s wife, Nicole, gave birth to a daughter, Lucy, on Nov. 12. #TNFonPrime 👶💜
— Andrea Kremer (@Andrea_Kremer) November 22, 2019
“Honestly, though, I wouldn’t have gotten through it if not for Nicole,” Luck said in Quarterback. “It isn’t just that she was willing to do anything she could to help me. It’s that she’s tough. She knows what training is like, what it’s like to feel pain, and what it’s like to have to work really hard. There’s no way I get through those two months without her.”
Luck will have a lot of time to spend with his daughter as he announced his retirement from the NFL before the 2019 season began. When he made the announcement, Luck explained why he’s leaving the game at 29 years old — he’s now 30.
“I didn’t wake up this morning and [decide]. A week and a half to two weeks. It’s been a little bit fast and furious and the lack of progress on my ankle,” Luck said. “I’m in pain. I’m still in pain. I’ve been in this cycle. It’s been four years of this injury-pain cycle. For me to move forward in my life the way I want to, it didn’t involve football.”
In six seasons, Luck was named to the Pro Bowl four times and he led the team to the AFC Championship game in 2014. He was named Comeback Player of the Year in 2018 after missing the previous season with a shoulder injury.
