Andrew Luck is the latest NFL player choosing his head over heart. Luck suddenly retiring from pro football was a shock because of his superstar status and what it does to the Colts’ chances this season. But his story is becoming commonplace in the sport of gladiators. Luck turns 30 next month but obviously feels much older.
Luck lost that loving feeling for the game after being dogged by injuries that had him obsessed with what the rest of his life would literally feel like. Football will never die in this country, because it is such a great game and has a drug-like hold on the public. But, surely, more players will make Luck-like decisions.
Rob Gronkowski retired from the Patriots at 29 to regain his health and enjoy a life that includes millions of dollars that he says he hasn’t yet touched — along with the good times ahead with his girlfriend, a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model. Some insist Gronk will rejoin the team this season, but he could barely walk after the Super Bowl and took months to recover.
A lesser-known player who has reached out to the NFL is former journeyman Le’Ron McClain, a one-time fullback who said he has experienced dark times and is pleading with the league to help him get his “head checked.” McClain claims he had to hire a lawyer to get someone from the NFL to hear his cries for attention.
“Need to tell my story of how my head is crazy and how football did it,” he tweeted this week. “Please someone help me get this out. The NFL puts paperwork in our faces and that’s it. … I need help now. I need a plan.”
A Stanford graduate, Luck has a plan and that is to do something else after he fully overcomes injuries to his shoulder, calf and other parts of his beaten body. He made a promise to himself that if he had to chose the rest of his life over a long football career, he would take the former.
Luck may also have a change of heart after a full year off and healing up completely. But it seems like he has been painfully aware of the injuries that affected so many players after retirement that he had to do something about it before his time came.
His retirement has spawned silly stories from the Colts betting odds to how our Fantasy Football teams will be affected. That is all so inconsequential against what’s really at stake. Good for Luck.
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