Andrew Luck talks about why he walked away

[GoColts8818]

Seems like it deserves it own thread.  If you don’t want to hear about Andrew Luck anymore simply don’t read it and move on.  Several probably do want to see this.

 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/insider/story/_/id/35163936/andrew-luck-reveals-why-walked-away-nfl

[twfish]

Dang espn+.... I, like most fans, don't have a problem with him retiring it was the when it all happened. I'll forever hold resentment towards Adam Schefter for breaking the new when he did.

[RollerColt]

The opposite of Tom Brady in a way. He chose his wife and kids over football. At the end of the day, this is just a silly meaningless game that we humans play on a speeding rock hurtling across time and space. There are much more important things. God, wife and kids. I understand his choice as a father and husband. 

[DougDew]

Can't read the whole article.  Behind a wall.

 

The first part of it sounds like he just never really wanted to be a football player.  The success and fame and sort of civic duty that goes with it is very tough to turn away from, but his personality seems just never suited to be that guy.

[RollerColt]

1 minute ago, DougDew said:

Can't read the whole article.  Behind a wall.

 

The first part of it sounds like he just never really wanted to be a football player.  The success and fame and sort of civic duty that goes with it is very tough to turn away from, but his personality seems just never suited to be that guy.

He never needed football as much as football wanted and needed him. 

[Mr.Debonair]

I’ll never have an issue with a player retiring. The issue with his retirement has been discussed plenty. That will forever be my only gripe

[RollerColt]

7 minutes ago, Mr.Debonair said:

I’ll never have an issue with a player retiring. The issue with his retirement has been discussed plenty. That will forever be my only gripe

I don't think it will ever not be a discussion topic until we get another QB to make us forget or at the very least move on. 

[#12.]

It seems like they hold on to these Luck stories and release them the day after our current QB at the moment has a horrendously bad performance

 

Thanks for that.

[coming on strong]

11 minutes ago, Mr.Debonair said:

I’ll never have an issue with a player retiring. The issue with his retirement has been discussed plenty. That will forever be my only gripe

Doing it in the off-season before the draft would be better at least gives the colts a chance to draft someone.  

[Flash7]

Does anyone have access to ESPN+ so that you can tell us about the rest of the story?

[NFLfan]

9 minutes ago, RollerColt said:

The opposite of Tom Brady in a way. He chose his wife and kids over football. At the end of the day, this is just a silly meaningless game that we humans play on a speeding rock hurtling across time and space. There are much more important things. God, wife and kids. I understand his choice as a father and husband. 

 

Exactly. This is just a game. It needs to be kept in perspective.  Fans should not make a team's successes and failures a reflection of themselves. The kind of anger I see expressed among fans (of all teams and all sports) is often disturbing and mind-boggling. 

 

All the best to Andrew Luck and his family. I have lots of respect and admiration for him.

[BlackTiger]

The colts reddit page has more info on this ftr

[Indyfan4life]

ESPN+ is weird... I have it through Verizon with my phone plan, but I can never log into anything outside of Hulu, and that only gives me options for games I'd never care to watch.

[throwing BBZ]

 

 Yes our line was lacking.

 He quit because of all the injuries and he had more money than he could spend in 10 lifetimes.

  Lucky held onto the ball to much getting killed for it, and he ran a lot and got destroyed several times doing that.

 Harbaugh Sold him as being able to make all the throws. Nope, he stank with touch and accuracy throwing short his first 3 years.

 But Frank had him throwing well with quick passes, with a much improved o-line taking away a great deal of the injury risk.

 What a shame, he quit anyway! 

[DougDew]

34 minutes ago, RollerColt said:

He never needed football as much as football wanted and needed him. 

I think the word "felt guilty" came up.   Some people are suited to "serving the public".  They thrive on it.  From police officers to military people to politicians to civic and world leaders.   They don't necessarily do it for the limelight or fame or power, they sincerely like the idea of feeling important, of a bunch of people counting on them to do well.

 

An NFL QB has a lot of people wanting or even NEEDING him to do well.  60,000 people every Sunday at the stadium, and hundreds of thousands more all over the world.   Its the type of job that carries a huge responsibility that some thrive on, and others don't want any part of.   Not that one person is better than the other, but either person is not suited for doing the other thing.  Luck probably saw the responsibility to do well for others as a burden.

 

If you notice, Luck spends his time doing individual sports and not team sports.  Skiing, Cycling, Fishing.  He's not even doing individual sports competitively.   Nothing very social about the man, and that kind of personality must have found it stressful and borderline torture to have so many teammates counting on him and so many fans watching him every Sunday.

 

Yeah, that leg injury stuff had nothing to do with it. The oline had nothing to do with it.  His personality is just not suited to playing teams sports,  That's okay.  

[RollerColt]

9 minutes ago, NFLfan said:

Exactly. This is just a game. It needs to be kept in perspective.  Fans should not make a team's successes and failures a reflection of themselves. The kind of anger I see expressed among fans (of all teams and all sports) is often disturbing and mind-boggling. 

 

All the best to Andrew Luck and his family. I have lots of respect and admiration for him.

I'm glad you mentioned across all sports. Not sure what it's like in NY, but here in Indiana parents are over the top when watching their kids play. It's as if the child's performance is a direct reflection on them as a person. Go to any high school basketball game and you'll see it. Parents red in the face screaming at the court, trying to bark directions... Saying nasty things to opposing players... 

 

This past weekend I went in to my classroom to get some extra work finished. I'm just down the hall from our gym for scene setting. There was a youth basketball game going on, and I could hear the parents yelling so loud it almost sounded like they were hemorrhaging or something. 

 

Newsflash to parents: Most players can't hear you. When they're in the zone and focused as a player, they don't notice what is being screamed about. The only one I could hear during a game was the coach. 

[Mr.Debonair]

20 minutes ago, RollerColt said:

I don't think it will ever not be a discussion topic until we get another QB to make us forget or at the very least move on. 

Im okay discussing it. I meant That the timing of it being the problem, has been discussed plenty 

[RollerColt]

2 minutes ago, DougDew said:

I think the word "felt guilty" came up.   Some people are suited to "serving the public".  They thrive on it.  From police officers to military people to politicians to civic and world leaders.   They don't necessarily do it for the limelight or fame or power, they sincerely like the idea of feeling important, of a bunch of people counting on them to do well.

 

And NFL QB has a lot of people wanting or even NEEDING him to do well.  60,000 people every Sunday at the stadium, and hundreds of thousands more all over the world.   Its a huge responsibility that some thrive on, and others don't want any part of.   Not that one person is better than the other, but either person is not suited for doing the other thing.

 

If you notice, Luck spends his time doing individual sports and not team sports.  Skiing, Cycling, Fishing.  He's not even doing individual sports competitively.   Nothing very social about the man, and that kind of personality must have found it stressful and borderline torture to have so many teammates counting on him and so many fans watching him every Sunday.

 

Yeah, that leg injury stuff had nothing to do with it.  His personality is just not suited to playing teams sports,  That's okay.  

I absolutely agree with you. His personality is more reserved, analytical and scholarly. I do remember his first impression with Quentin Nelson didn't go too well, with Nelson calling him a nerd. Perhaps he felt obligated to play football because of his dad, the legacy and his latent talents. 

[Mr.Debonair]

17 minutes ago, coming on strong said:

Doing it in the off-season before the draft would be better at least gives the colts a chance to draft someone.  

Right. The timing of his decision and announcement were the problem. It was poorly done

[Flash7]

Addressing the timing of Luck's retirement:

 

I don't know why people cannot understand that Luck wanted to play football that upcoming season. He wanted to continue his football career. 

 

After dealing with so many injuries and the cycle of injury, rehab, injury, rehab -- he told himself that he would not put himself through that anymore. So he gave himself an ultimatum -- continue playing for as long as you can, but do not put yourself through this cycle anymore.

 

After the 2018 season, Luck dealt with a mysterious lower leg injury, which several doctors had a tough time diagnosing the root of the problem. During the off season, he worked to get better, hoping that it would heal in time for the season. During training camp and up to the preseason, he worked with his trainers to see if it would improve, all with the intention of being ready to play.

 

Then came the preseason and the news that he would not be able to play, and that he would not be ready to play at the beginning of the season. He would miss time and he would have to go through the rehab process. This is when he had to grapple with the idea of retiring. He had to make a decision -- keep his word and protect himself and his family, or put himself in a situation that he swore he would not put himself back into. THIS is when Luck decided to retire.

 

For people saying that Luck should have retired before the draft - Impossible. He had no intention of retiring. He was getting ready to play. He put his body through all it could, and when it failed him, it was time to retire.

 

 

[2006Coltsbestever]

I think really the only issue with his retirement with people in here is was when he did it. That was my only issue as well. Had he retired after losing to Mahomes and KC in the playoffs, I doubt anyone would have had a problem with that, had he said I just can do it anymore I am too beat up and injured. When he retired it screwed our draft up in 2019 because Ballard never dreamed he would retire. It actually screwed up  the 2018 draft as well because we drafted Nelson to bolster the O.Line who went at #6 to help protect Luck. Josh Allen went #7, had Luck retired before 2018, we may have drafted Allen. Having said that I can see why he retired, I think he was a great QB for 3 years (2012-2014), brought us a lot of wins, I also believe he belongs in the ROH. If he wanted to come back next year, I would be excited. This city would be too I am sure. I wish him well regardless, family is very important, football is just a game. 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

Pretty much what we all knew was the reason he retired. He saw the bigger picture in life and wanted more. It wasn’t about the ankle injury at all. 
 

Glad he expressed regret on the timing. Should of played and retired at end of season.

[Flash7]

1 minute ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

I think really the only issue with his retirement with people in here is was when he did it. That was my only issue as well. Had he retired after losing to Mahomes and KC in the playoffs, I doubt anyone would have had a problem with that, had he said I just can do it anymore I am too beat up and injured. When he retired it screwed our draft up in 2019 because Ballard never dreamed he would retire. It actually screwed up  the 2018 draft as well because we drafted Nelson to bolster the O.Line who went at #6 to help protect Luck. Josh Allen went #7, had Luck retired before 2018, we may have drafted Allen. Having said that I can see why he retired, I think he was a great QB for 3 years (2012-2014), brought us a lot of wins, I also believe he belongs in the ROH. If he wanted to come back next year, I would be excited. This city would be too I am sure. I wish him well regardless, family is very important, football is just a game. 

For people saying that Luck should have retired before the draft - Impossible. He had no intention of retiring. He was getting ready to play.

[2006Coltsbestever]

2 minutes ago, Flash7 said:

For people saying that Luck should have retired before the draft - Impossible. He had no intention of retiring. He was getting ready to play.

How do you know that? 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

2 minutes ago, Flash7 said:

For people saying that Luck should have retired before the draft - Impossible. He had no intention of retiring. He was getting ready to play.

He could of played 2019 and retired after.

[DougDew]

3 minutes ago, RollerColt said:

I absolutely agree with you. His personality is more reserved, analytical and scholarly. I do remember his first impression with Quentin Nelson didn't go too well, with Nelson calling him a nerd. Perhaps he felt obligated to play football because of his dad, the legacy and his latent talents. 

There are all kinds of sports out there.  We as football fans and former football players on some level...like high school...think of sports synonymously with team sports.   Football, baseball, basketball, soccer, volleyball are all common school sports that are all team sports.....played along side other players where their success depends upon how you play.  They are also sports that are played with a ball..  Then there are individual sports like track, wrestling, gymnastics that are individual sports forced into a team sport because of competitiveness among schools, or countries if you're an Olympian.  Lots of people still counting on you.

 

Its just the way a lot of us see sports.....through the structure of a team.

 

Skiiing, cycling, running, fishing, hunting, are a bunch of sports that can have nothing to do with the fishbowl of being on a team.  There are probably more that I am missing.

 

A lot of team sports folks and "ball sports" folks just don't get it.  They see sports as the social/team sport thing only.

[Flash7]

Just now, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

He could of played 2019 and retired after.

Sure. He could still be playing now. But at the cost of his health, which he was not willing to risk anymore.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

Just now, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

He could of played 2019 and retired after.

That injury would not of prevented him from playing. It was more of a mental thing in his head and whether he wanted to save his marriage and be more then just a QB. His personality did not let him have a balanced life.  

[Flash7]

1 minute ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

How do you know that? 

1. He said so.

 

2. He went through the entire off season getting ready to play.

 

3. He said 2018 was the happiest he had been playing football with this teammates in a long time. He was in a system that suited him and he was looking forward to the next season. He said this when he won the award for comeback player of the year.

[Crush22]

Did he mention snowboarding? 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

1 minute ago, Flash7 said:

Sure. He could still be playing now. But at the cost of his health, which he was not willing to risk anymore.

In the story this was more about being a husband to his wigw and a father to his kids. He kind of had a OCD personality when it came to football. 

[Flash7]

1 minute ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

That injury would not of prevented him from playing. It was more of a mental thing in his head and whether he wanted to save his marriage and be more then just a QB. His personality did not let him have a balanced life.  

It is a fact that he would not have been able to play week 1 and undetermined when he could return. you can read the news clippings to confirm this.

 

He would have to go through rehab again the get ready to play. He was not willing to go through that again.

[RollerColt]

4 minutes ago, DougDew said:

There are all kinds of sports out there.  We as football fans and former football players on some level...like high school...think of sports synonymously with team sports.   Football, baseball, basketball, soccer, volleyball are all common school sports that are all team sports.....played along side other players where their success depends upon how you play.  They are also sports that are played with a ball..  Then there are individual sports like track, wrestling, gymnastics that are individual sports forced into a team sport because of competitiveness among schools, or countries if you're an Olympian.  Lots of people still counting on you.

 

Its just the way a lot of us see sports.....through the structure of a team.

 

Skiiing, cycling, running, fishing, hunting, are a bunch of sports that can have nothing to do with the fishbowl of being on a team.  There are probably more that I am missing.

 

A lot of team sports folks and "ball sports" folks just don't get it.  They see sports as the social/team sport thing only.

I used to be competitive in skiing (yes insane to think but southeast Indiana has skiing LOL), so I definitely understand the feeling from multiple perspectives. I really can relate to Andrew on winter sports. There just something about the rush careening down the hill. It's, a freeing feeling honestly. 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

Just now, Flash7 said:

It is a fact that he would not have been able to play week 1 and undetermined when he could return. you can read the news clippings to confirm this.

 

He would have to go through rehab again the get ready to play. He was not willing to go through that again.

Did you read the story?

[IinD]

Tell him to give us a call, the position is still available.

He could beat out Matt.. Lol

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

When you read the story you see why Irsay said it was between his ears. Lucks OCD personality required therapy when he went to Netherlands. He was told there was too much pressure in Indy and he needed to get away.

[Flash7]

2 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

Did you read the story?

I do not have access to ESPN+ but would be grateful if you could provide some clippings from the story. 

[DougDew]

6 minutes ago, Flash7 said:

It is a fact that he would not have been able to play week 1 and undetermined when he could return. you can read the news clippings to confirm this.

 

He would have to go through rehab again the get ready to play. He was not willing to go through that again.

If you read the article, the injury/rehab cycle has nothing to do with why he retired.  That has just been the stated reason because its the easy thing for people to understand.

 

Not everybody is driven to play team sports, even if you did it for a number of years.  

 

This also gets back to the issue about coaches motivating players.  The players have to have the right personality to even be on a team to begin with and want to be there for 15 years if they could.  Some just want to be there to get a few million, then go do stuff they really want to do, never telling others that they never really liked the game that much to begin with.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

Just now, Flash7 said:

I do not have access to ESPN+ but would be grateful if you could provide some clippings from the story. 

If you go to the Reddit colts forum it’s free there. I don’t think I can post the Reddit link here. 

[Superman]

17 minutes ago, Mr.Debonair said:

Right. The timing of his decision and announcement were the problem. It was poorly done

 

He visited a HS team in Colorado and was asked about his regrets, and he says the timing of his retirement is his biggest regret. He felt he let people down.