Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck has insisted that Reggie Wayne is not a "traitor" for joining the New England Patriots.

The 36-year-old's 14-year tenure with the AFC South side was ended when he was released in March, and the wideout spent five months as a free agent before the Patriots snapped him up.

The move was met with a backlash in Indianapolis, with local paper the Indianapolis Star penning an article asking: "Reggie Wayne - Patriot or traitor?"

However, Luck is adamant that he does not consider his former teammate to be a defector.

"There's a lot of things said and written about a lot of people," Luck told the Rich Eisen Show. "But Reggie will always be one of the great Colts in my mind and a great, great teammate.

"You can't control what people write. It doesn't really matter what's fair, I think, and not fair necessarily as a player. But I know Reg is no traitor to me at all."

Wayne recorded 1,070 receptions for 14,345 yards and 80 touchdowns in his 14 years with the Colts.