The Indianapolis Colts remain at the top of NFL news headlines with the ongoing soap opera involving superstar running back Jonathan Taylor. Then on Wednesday, Jets WR Corey Davis abruptly retired from the NFL at 28 years young.
Whenever a young player retires, such as former Buccaneers guard Ali Marpet, also 28, some of us are immediately sent back in time four years to when Andrew Luck shockingly walked away from the game.
It seems more players are beginning to follow his lead. Nasir Adderley retired after only four NFL seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers. He was 25 at the time. As salaries skyrocket and both physical and mental health continue to grow as a priority for young men across the globe, the surprise should start to wear off.
Why Did Andrew Luck Retire?
Looking back on it, why wouldn’t he? In eight seasons with the Colts, Luck made over $100 million in career earnings. Although Luck has never been Peyton Manning when it comes to having an outgoing personality and supreme marketability, he was a prodigy who did just fine in that area.
In true Luck fashion, he practically disappeared from the world’s eye until Jan. 10, 2022, when he was seen looking about 40 pounds lighter at the College Football National Championship Game. He was still armed with his “aw shucks” delivery. But even then, it wasn’t until December of that same year that ESPN’s Seth Wickersham published Luck’s why.
The timing of Luck’s retirement didn’t make things easy for the Colts in 2019 or beyond. But at some point, every warrior — and there is absolutely no debating Luck’s status as a soldier — hits their breaking point.
Luck’s body was disintegrating. A hit from Brian Orakpo in 2015 tore his labrum. A snowboarding accident re-injured the shoulder in 2016, and the shoulder still was not 100% in 2017.
But the mental side of being an NFL QB who replaced a first-ballot Hall of Famer while being touted as the greatest QB prospect of the generation weighed on him as well. It got to the point where Nicole Pechenac, who at the time was his girlfriend, was readying to walk away from the relationship.
Luck felt he needed to be someone he wasn’t. “There were some things that when I looked in the mirror, I did not like about myself,” Luck says. “I was self-absorbed, withdrawn, in pain, and feeling pressure.”
But after opening up and working with Tom House to combat the mechanical and mental issues blocking a full recovery, it looked like things were back on track for Luck. The Colts finished as a 10-win team in 2018, and Luck looked good and was playing without shoulder pain.
But then he injured his ankle. And that ankle injury was just another addition to a CVS receipt full of prior injuries.
- Sept. 2015: Sprained shoulder
- Nov. 2015: Lacerated kidney and torn abdominal muscle
- Jan. 2016: Torn rib cartilage
- Nov. 2016: Concussion
- Jan. 2017: Shoulder
- March 2019: Calf strain/ankle injury
The ankle injury was complicated, painful, and put Luck back in the same mental headspace he’d been in with his shoulder. In all the time that led to this, Luck’s life had moved insanely fast — so fast, in fact, that he never got to actually ponder how much he loved the game.
He was done. And while most around him urged the quarterback to continue soldiering on and not make any rash decisions, Luck was steadfast.
“Luck told his family and close friends. [His agent Will] Wilson advised him to sleep on it. When they spoke two days later, Luck was resolute. [Colts GM Chris] Ballard tried to appeal to Luck’s competitive fire, but it was gone. [HC Frank] Reich implored him to not rush a big decision, but Luck didn’t think it had been rushed. When Wilson met with Ballard to finalize the paperwork, both men cried.”
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He married Nicole in March of 2019. His daughter Lucy was born in November. Anybody who has had a child knows the kind of self-reflection that comes with that life-changing moment. But everything changes before that baby arrives. The stakes are higher.
Luck, who’d battled through physical and emotional trauma for the better part of five years, was done. It’s not that he couldn’t play the game anymore. His ankle would have healed, and he still would have been great. But the former first-overall pick didn’t want to play the game anymore.
The Stanford standout will always be one of the league’s greatest what-ifs. But the former Colts QB and now husband and father will also be the poster child for putting his mental, physical, and familial health first and foremost. And that is something that deserves continued respect.