Two years ago, the possibility of Colts quarterback Andrew Luck never playing football again due to injury haunted him. Now, he’s grateful for the experience.

While speaking with Sports Illustrated about the shoulder injury that cost Luck his entire 2017 season, the four-time Pro Bowler called it “a blessing in disguise.”

“It forced me to reevaluate many, many things in my life. And the result has been … yeah, really positive. And I shudder to think of not having that,” Luck said. “I don’t think I’m married if that had not happened. I think I eff that up. I truly do. I truly do. I mean, now, it’s all good, but yeah.”

This past March, Luck tied the knot with longtime girlfriend and former Stanford gymnast Nicole Pechanec. The couple is now expecting their first child after undergoing some harsh times throughout their relationship, according to Luck.

“I’d put way too much of my self-worth directly into how I was performing on the football field,” Luck said. “And then I wasn’t on the football field and I felt quite empty. It was very unhealthy, first for me, second for the relationship with my now-wife, and my other relationships.

“The result has been the best thing that ever could’ve happened,” he added. “It forced me to look in the mirror and do a character assessment, and address the things I didn’t like and then the things I did like, and then get on the same page with the people I love and respect.”

Luck’s fortune at home translated to success on the field, when he came just short of posting a career high in passing yards with 4,593 along with 39 touchdowns in his first season back from injury. He earned a Pro Bowl nod and the Comeback Player of the Year Award

He credits the success he had this past season to not bringing his work home with him like he used to, and focusing on football only on the field.

“Get your work done at the building, and when you go home, go home, be present,” Luck said. “And if I wasn’t, I addressed it with my wife — ‘I need to call on this right now, because this is on my mind, and it can’t wait ’til morning.’ And in an odd way, that helped football. It helped me work harder, work smarter, be more present at football, be in it.”