Former Colts quarterback Andrew Luck is opening up about his abrupt NFL retirement.
The former No. 1 pick was 29-years old when he decided to retire after a Colts preseason game in 2019. Speaking with ESPN's Seth Wickersham, Luck admitted to feeling regret at the timing of his announcement. He also admitted to feeling as though he had let people down by retiring — a fear that haunted him throughout his career,
Luck had enjoyed a productive 2018 season. He had thrown 39 touchdown passes, led the Colts to the playoffs, and won NL Comeback Player of the Year. Then suddenly, he called it quits.
Leading up to the announcement, he was plagued by injuries. Yet, instead of retiring right after the 2018 playoffs, Luck waited until August, when he finally made the call. The timing, he said, was not right. It did not help that his prior existing injuries were adding up.
In January, 2017, Luck underwent a labrum surgery, which cost him the entire season. He blamed himself, saying he felt like a "failure for the first time in my life."
That year Luck, who was battling feelings of despondency, and his wife, Nicole, took a trip to the Netherlands with trainer Willem Kramer. However, he wound up feeling more disconnected and having to face the truth that his identity was so closely linked to being a quarterback.
"I felt no understanding of other parts of myself at all," he admitted.
Then, one night, Luck broke down into tears.
"There were some things that when I looked in the mirror, I did not like about myself," he explained. "I was self-absorbed, withdrawn, in pain, and feeling pressure."
Luck began to feel a strong desire to be consistently present for his wife Nicole, who was pregnant with their daughter, Lucy, during the offseason.
As Wickersham noted, "He had proved that he could play at a high level. He had received plenty of praise and criticism, enough to know that neither of those things matters."
It was with all this in mind that Luck announced his retirement — with 171 touchdowns, 23,671 passing yards, a career completion percentage of 60.8, and a regular-season record of 53-33.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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