The doctors have spoken. And the doctors have the last word.

The Indianapolis Colts on Thursday placed Pro Bowl quarterback Andrew Luck on injured reserve, a move that ends Luck's hopes of playing in 2017.

The decision was an anticlimactic one after recent news that Luck had embarked on a series of doctor visits to find the source of continued soreness in his right shoulder, on which he underwent surgery in January.

Those doctors suggested one thing, General Manager Chris Ballard said.

"The consensus from all the doctors is to continue rehab, to be patient and continue rehab," he said.

Luck will begin a rehab regimen that was different than his original plan, this one aimed at dealing specifically with the source of the soreness that began flaring up after Luck returned to practice last month and seemed to be on track to return to game action.

When the soreness began, Luck was given a series of cortisone shots, which ultimately did not relieve the soreness.

For now, doctors believe the rehab will resolve the issues, Ballard said. No additional surgery is believed to be necessary. Ballard said there has been no talk of the shoulder issues impacting Luck's career in the long term.

"I’ve heard all sorts of rumors about ‘career-ending,'" Ballard said. "That’s not the case here. I’ve not got that from one doctor. Career-ending is putting him out on the field before he’s ready to play. That’s where you should be concerned. We’re doing everything we can as an organization to give Andrew a chance, and Andrew’s doing everything he can to have a chance, to have a long-term career. And that’s what he plans on doing and that’s what we plan on him doing."

Luck, in a statement released by the team said, "I’m very optimistic. I wish I was better and 100 percent this season, but that’s not the case. I know I’ll be better from this. I know I’ll be a better quarterback, teammate, person and player from this, and I’m excited for the future."

By the end of 2017, Luck will have missed 26 of 48 games since the 2015 season. This comes after Luck started the first 51 games of his career without missing any action.

Luck, who was the No. 1 pick of the Colts in 2012, first injured his shoulder during Week 3 of the 2015 season.

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