By CAMDEN MALONE
Contributing Writer
The NFL season kicks off in only two weeks from this Sunday, but served with the great anticipation shared by fans from all over the league was shocking news revolving around Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck. Luck, 29, announced his retirement from football, making for a headline that not even the Colts organization could see coming. It was no easy decision for the former first overall pick in the 2012 draft to walk away from the game, but after examining the severe toll that injuries had played on his mind and body, he came to terms with a hard truth.
Luck played through shoulder injuries throughout his 2016 season and ended up missing the entirety of the 2017 season. His commendable season the following year upon his return earned him the award of the 2018 Comeback Player of the Year. However to his own discretion, the success he saw on the field after making his comeback was no easy climb to get to, as he describes many dark days in rehabilitation where the joy he found in football simply wasn’t there anymore. Injuries began to return to him early this preseason, likely resulting in the feelings which prompted him to announce retirement, in a way he puts it, as feeling “worn down.”
Although Luck’s retirement may be a hard pill for many fans to swallow, it is commendable for an athlete of his own stature to take mental health seriously and do what is best for him. For athletes at any level, it is a good lesson that with the physical and mental fatigue in which sports bring, it’s important to be honest with yourself and find joy in whatever you’re doing.
