"I've been stuck in this process," he told reporters. "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.”
#NFL players have an average of 3-6 year playing careers. All players will eventually retire voluntarily or involuntary due to performance or injury. The individual will have the rest of their life to live. A much longer period of time than their playing career. Their bodies and all the injuries which they sustain to them are with them many times every day. Whether it be getting out of bed in the morning, picking up their kids, or working. For all of us that have played the game it is always with us both the drive to play and the physical reminders that we did. If you have a supportive family and the means to retire to other interests, do it. A player should not feel pressured into a team’s or sportswriter’s goals for you. They will not be in your body as you have to rehab to do trivial things and they will be on to the next crop of players.
#NFL teams can cut players or renegotiate their contracts if they are injured or cannot perform. Players can be traded like commodities to other teams. No fans loose sleep to this behavior and teams view it just as business; which it is.
Kudos to #andrewluck for having the courage to make a difficult decision but ultimately the right one for him and his family after football. Something that is noteworthy are all the outside #football interests that he is drawn to. One of the biggest difficulties for retired athletes I have worked with over the years are that they had put so much into the game is that when the game inevitably ends they had nothing else. They had lost many friends along the way and had grown distant from family as they used all their energy chasing the lights. Upon retiring they are rudderless and without much purpose, leading to resentment and many times depression.
“I’m in pain, I’m still in pain. It’s been four years of this pain, rehab cycle,” #Luck said. “It’s a myriad of issues calf strain, posterior ankle impingement, high ankle sprain. Part of my journey going forward.”
#andrewluckretirement