On the Monday following the Colts 45-7 blowout loss to the Patriots in the AFC Championship game, Andrew Luck got a phone call from the NFL. Could he play in the Pro Bowl?
Luck says he was so upset about the loss he almost told the league he would sit out the game, according to The Indianapolis Star.
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"The morning after the (loss), you get a phone call and they need your decision (on appearing in the Pro Bowl) and they want to make sure you're not hurt, can you play and all that," Luck said. "I'm sitting there like ... (sighs)."
Luck says he decided the honor of being selected for the Pro Bowl by fans and his fellow players meant too much to ignore.
"I mean, it is a privilege, but I am hurting in a sense," he said. "But I realize it's an honor to be voted in and the fans really enjoy it. So, I did it."
Luck, who will be making his third Pro Bowl appearance, says the AFC title game loss still haunts him.
"I think every loss in the playoffs leaves a really, really terrible taste in your mouth," Luck said. "But this one has been worse than the other two (Colts playoff losses under Luck) because we did get so close. And the way we lost, it was just embarrassing."
Luck knows playing in the Pro Bowl is another step in the healing process.
"It's going to take awhile for me to get over it," Luck said. "You take small steps, little doses of medicine in a sense. This (Pro Bowl) game, for instance, is a step. It's some of that medicine.
"You come out here and try to have fun with the guys. Everybody who's here lost at the end of the season. And misery loves company. I feel bad for the Packers guys who are here, for example. We were sitting there commiserating the other day."