INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts have reportedly asked the NFL to look into a possible case of tampering involving the Washington Commanders and former Indianapolis starting quarterback Andrew Luck, the Washington Post reported Monday.
The Colts declined a request for comment from IndyStar, and the NFL’s league office did not return a request for comment.
But the possibility of a tampering investigation had already been raised publicly by Indianapolis owner Jim Irsay.
Irsay sent a warning shot on his Twitter account Sunday night, responding to an ESPN article that reported the Commanders inquired about the availability of Luck last offseason.
“If any NFL team attempted to contact Andrew Luck (or any associate of him)… to play for their Franchise—it would be a clear Violation of the League’s Tampering Policy,” Irsay wrote.
Under NFL rules, a player’s contract “tolls” when he retires — meaning any remaining years on the deal are held by his original team — and Luck retired with three years left on the $140 million extension he’d signed in 2016.
According to the Washington Post, the Commanders did not contact Luck, his father, Oliver, or his uncle, former NFL agent Will Wilson, but Indianapolis wants to know if Washington contacted any other person connected to the former Colts quarterback.
If the Commanders are found guilty of tampering with Luck, the penalties could be severe. The Miami Dolphins were docked a first-round pick in 2023, a third-round pick in 2024 and owner Stephen Ross and another Dolphins executive were suspended and fined for improper contact with former Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady and the agent for Broncos coach Sean Payton, who was then the head coach of the New Orleans Saints.
This article originally appeared on the Indianapolis Star: Colts reportedly asked the NFL to look into possible Washington tampering