NFL star Andrew Luck is retiring and hey, let's focus on the nice stuff
Andrew Luck, the first pick in the 2012 NFL draft and star quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts, announced his retirement on Saturday.
The 29-year-old is exiting the sport at a relatively young age for a player at his position, and it seems that injuries played a big role in his decision. He missed more than half of the 2015 season and all of the 2017 season, and he's been dealing with new issues as the 2019 season approaches.
"I've been stuck in this process," Luck said on Saturday in a news conference called after the Colts third pre-season game -- which he sat out of. "I haven't been able to live the life I want to live. It's taken the joy out of this game ... the only way forward for me is to remove myself from football."
He specifically called out his multiple injuries, and the pain of dealing with them, as the reason for his retirement. "It's been four years of this pain, rehab cycle. It's a myriad of issues -- calf strain, posterior ankle impingement, high ankle sprain," Luck said. "Part of my journey going forward will be figuring out how to feel better."
Fans didn't take kindly to the announcement, which hit social media before crowds left Saturday night's game. Luck walked off the field as some booed and others stripped off their jerseys, according to ESPN. (Yes, fandom is terrible.)
While there's surely plenty more negativity directed at Luck's decision on social media, much of the response has been positive and supportive. It's hard to stay healthy as a professional football player, and the NFL as an organization has an awful track record in that arena -- so while seeing a young talent like Luck call it quits may be hard, his step toward self-care is commendable.
Lots of people seem to agree and have taken the time to celebrate the now-former quarterback's excellence and remind others of what he put his body through to provide all that entertainment. Luck is a star who's leaving on his own terms, and for his own personal reasons. That says a lot.
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This is just a small sampling of the well wishes. A good amount of the online chatter around this news comes from athletes, the media, or people who work close to sports in some way, but all of us can benefit from reading through these positive sentiments and pushbacks against toxic fans. This is how you see a pro off into retirement.
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
