I was one of the many, MANY fans who were shocked upon learning the news of Andrew Luck’s retirement.
A lot of the said shocked people were angry with Luck because most were Colts fans. Can’t say I don’t blame them.
After all, Luck had a bounce-back season for the ages last season, and led the Colts on an impressive playoff run. And imagine going into the season with high expectations, only to see your franchise quarterback retire in his prime.
Remember folks, “fan” is short for “fanatic”. I get it.
What I don’t get are people essentially calling Luck a wuss because he was mentally drained from the constant rehabbing on a now-broken down body.
Any pro athlete will tell you how taxing the grind of a preseason and regular season year in and year out. And that’s WITHOUT the injuries.
Think about what Luck had to deal with in addition to the grind AND injuries. A defensive minded coach (Chuck Pagano) an awful GM who was allergic to drafting quality players. A horrific offensive line. And an owner who was liable to popping off at the wrong time.
Who would want to stick around all THAT? And yes, I know Pagano and that awful GM are long gone, but the damage was already done.
Luck strikes me as a very intelligent dude (he graduated from Stanford who majored in engineering). He has a future laid out for him, and that apparently doesn’t include using a walker at age 50.
The injuries and internal drama he dealt with took the joy out of playing in the NFL, and I respect anyone who listens to his brain instead of his heart. You should too.
Just don’t be like Doug Gottlieb. Or Dan Dakich.
In other words, don’t be an asshole…
Categories: NFL
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