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.
Monday QB
Guest
In many ways Luck’s story is a refreshing one. Seems he’s made a decision based on his long term future and health rather than squeezing as much out of football as he could. Although, I guess that’s easier when you’ve been on NFL QB money for a few years (not a standard NRL or AFL contract). That said, I can understand why fans are frustrated. Luck always seemed like he was on the cusp of becoming a top QB, before being struck down with (another) major injury. Despite his courage in coming back each time and the team’s general success with Luck under centre, I think he’ll generally be viewed as a missed opportunity.
Ad-O
Guest
Dont agree, sorry. The fans have an absolute right to boo Andrew Luck. Lest we forget, the Colt's most important player retired in the middle of a pre-season game, 2 weeks before the start of a season, after having an entire off-season to make up his mind and not leave his team in the lurch, sending them from contenders to also rans. And you're position is that fans paying astronomical sums to sit in a stadium and watch a meaningless friendly played at half pace are not allowed to express their genuinely felt disappointment in the heat of the moment having just found out? They dont have a right to abuse him. They dont have a right to troll him on twitter. They dont have right to run on the field and attack him. But to boo him? After all the people he's let down?Absolutely they have a right. After all, they've been paying his wages all these years.