Sometimes in the NFL, everything seems like a big story. That is, until an actual big story comes along. That story broke Saturday night in the middle of the Colts preseason game when Adam Schefter tweeted, "Andrew Luck has informed the Colts he is retiring from the NFL, per source. There will be a press conference Sunday to make it official, but Luck is mentally worn down, and now checking out."
Most people reading that had to do a double take. Could this be serious? Retiring? And with less than two weeks until the opening day? Turns out, it was absolutely true.
What Happened?
Luck had all eyes on him later that night in his press conference, and only slightly cleared things up. He said that he wasn't able to live the life he wanted to and the joy has been taken out of the game. If you look back over the injuries he's gotten in the last six years, they do start to add up. He's had a torn abdomen, torn cartilage in his ribs, a lacerated kidney, a torn labrum in his shoulder, a concussion, and whatever ankle issue that was the most recent.
His ankle, he said, was showing no progress of improvement. So with all those injuries stacked up, can you really blame him for walking away? A lot of fans sure can.
Hero to Zero
Luck left the field on his final night to a chorus of boos, and the sight of a few fans ripping off their jerseys in disgust. It's no secret why they're angry. After missing much of 2017 with injuries, Luck won Comeback Player of the Year in 2018. After a 1-5 start, Luck led the team to the playoffs, only losing one more game that season. They would beat the Houston Texans in the AFC wild card game before eventually losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round.
Because of their success last year and what seemed to be an injury-free quarterback, many people were picking them to be a force to be reckoned with for 2019, with some saying they had Super Bowl potential. All of that has come crashing down.
His Body, His Choice?
Despite the awful timing and crushing blow to his team, others are able to view this as a man knowing when to walk away. He's making his own decision to leave before things get so bad he'll be injured for the rest of his life. In fact, it may be slightly past that point.
What's Next For the Colts?
The Colts now turn to backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who can strip the "backup" from his title, at least for now. Although obviously not a household name, Brissett did start 15 games for the Colts in 2017 while Luck was out for the season with a shoulder injury. The Colts would go 4-12 that year. While that isn't a great way to judge how this year will go, it's safe to say that all eyes will be on Brissett and the Colts at the start of the season. We'll see if they strive in the face of adversary, or if they're plain old out of Luck.
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