Colts Quarterback Andrew Luck Shocked The NFL World When He Retired At Age 29 — Why He Left
Who is this guy?
Instagram He retired at the age of 29, walking away from more than $50 million in a contract to do so. And he subsequently set off a firestorm of controversy in the NFL. The Stanford graduate holds a degree in Architectural Engineering, so it's not like he can't fall back on that. Who is Andrew Luck?
Let's look at what we know about this latest headliner.
1. He announced his retirement Saturday
Luck announced his retirement during a press conference on Saturday. He said, in part: “For the last four years or so, I’ve been in this cycle of injury, pain, rehab, injury, pain, rehab, and it’s been unceasing, unrelenting, both in-season and offseason,” Luck said Saturday night. “And I felt stuck in it, and the only way I see out is to no longer play football. It’s taken my joy of this game away.”
2. Andrew Luck's decision to retire early is seen as a blessing by experienced sportswriters.
Writing for CNN, veteran sportswriter Jeff Pearlman says: "In my two and a half decades as a sports writer, I have come to know hundreds of retired NFL players. Many were stars at one point or another — standout pass rushers, quick-cutting halfbacks. They, too, experienced the bliss of athletic high, and found themselves drunk off the addictive power of NFL success. There are, after all, few experiences that can match the rush of being cheered by 70,000 people in your home coliseum. More often than not, however, you ultimately wind up a ghost — left alone to be told by the NFL's health care providers that your chronic headaches can be solved with two Advils; that being unable to remember your daughter's birthday is merely a byproduct of aging."
3. He's already suffered a variety of injuries.
According to CBS Sports, Andrew Luck has already suffered from a variety of injuries, so much so that the Colts decided to place him on injured reserve. During the 2016 season, Luck suffered an injury to his throwing shoulder but continued to play. That offseason he had surgery on the shoulder, forcing him to miss the entire 2017 season. His injuries have mounted over the past four years: shoulder sprain, torn cartilage in the ribs, partially torn abdomen, lacerated kidney, concussion, torn labrum in his right shoulder and now he's got a strained calf and ankle problem. Luck has missed a season and a half of playing time because of injuries.
4. Andrew Luck's retirement announcement comes exactly 20 years after another famous retirement announcement.
"Luck's retirement came 20 years and one month after arguably the most shocking retirement announcement in NFL history. [Barry] Sanders, just 31-years-old and a year removed from his 2,053-yard rushing season, announced his retirement just before the start of the 1999 season. Now a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Sanders was just 1,457 yards away from breaking Walter Payton's all-time rushing record, a record that would ultimately be broken by Emmitt Smith in 2002," reports a different report for CBS Sports.
5. Some players think he's being foolish.
According to Fox News, there are some football players who think that Andrew Luck is being foolish with his decision to retire. Steve Beuerlein, a former Pro Bowl player, said that this decision will "haunt" him for the rest of his days, even though he's a fan of the man and his playing.
6. But Tom Brady defended Andrew Luck's decision.
"It is his life. Everyone has the right to choose what he wants to do. He had a great career, and he was a great player. Everybody wishes they could be healthy all the time. It is a contact sport, and he's certainly had his fair share of injuries, so guys retire at different times. Some at the end of the season, and I have seen a lot of guys retire before the season gets going and this is just one of those examples," said Tom Brady to the official NFL website.