Shoulder injuries, concussions, ankle sprains, and multiple operations are just a sampling of the medical issues in a seven-season career than has now come to an end for Andrew Luck.
On Saturday, the NFL was shocked when he announced his retirement.
According to the front office of the Indianapolis Colts, the quarterback had been considering quitting for a few weeks.
The reception that fans gave him when the word came out was, to put it bluntly, shameful. Luck was booed off the field he’d most likely set for on for the final time, after the Colts preseason game against Chicago.
The fans were disappointed, but clearly only see Luck as a blank figure who wore #12 since 2012, not a human being.
Too many times, professional athletes are put on a platform where they can’t be people who get hurt, have other interests, or think about their long-term future.
People were also questioning the toughness of Luck, saying that retiring because rehabbing is too hard is a millennial thing.
To call a man who doesn’t want to put his body through another 16-game season where he’s risking serious injury soft is tone-deaf, and incredibly disrespectful. Luck once played a game with a lacerated kidney and proceeded to urinate blood afterward. The average person would not be able to handle that.
We aren’t living his life, we shouldn’t mock a player who knows when they need to leave.
The product of Stanford University gave all that he had to the Colts, returning the franchise to prominence after the departure of Peyton Manning. He also played in multiple Pro Bowls and sits third all-time in Colts’ passing touchdown history, with 171.
In just seven years he’s accomplished more than enough to cement his legacy.
Luck doesn’t ‘owe’ anyone one more season and clearly doesn’t need the money, as he’s leaving over $50 million on his remaining contract.
There’s a point where the body and mind know when it’s time to do something different and in Luck’s case, he’s making that decision before he turns 30.
This was not easy – he clearly loves the game and said it hurt to hear fans booing him off the field. To live a dream and to walk away with the people who cheered you now jeering you can’t be easy.
Given the links to brain injuries and how short a career can be, we may see more stars walk away from the game in their mid to late 20s.
A player walking off the field under their own power should happen more often than being strapped to a stretcher and giving a thumbs up.
A player hanging up the pads and looking forward to spending more time with his family? A desire to see the world with who knows how many decades ahead of him? What’s wrong with that?
Andrew Luck knows what’s good for Andrew Luck. That should be good enough for the rest of us.
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