Luck's retirement likely will start a conversation about whether other players will follow suitGETTY IMAGES
It is "difficult to process" an NFL without Andrew Luck in '19, as the quarterback's retirement at 29 came as he "was to be one of the faces of this 100th season celebration," according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSPORTS.com (8/25). THE RINGER's Kevin Clark wrote football is "worse off" now, as the NFL is "losing one of its best personalities" (THERINGER.com, 8/25). Jets QB Sam Darnold said, "It sucks for the NFL to lose such a talented player. ... We were looking forward to seeing him play great football this year. It’s a bummer for the whole league" (N.Y. POST, 8/25). In Boston, Ben Volin writes Luck’s retirement is a "sad story for the NFL, and the league will miss him" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/26).
WILL MORE FOLLOW? ESPN.com's Bill Barnwell wrote Luck's retirement "isn't just a franchise-altering decision," as it "alters the entire complexion of the NFL." The move will create a "conversation about whether it represents a trend" (ESPN.com, 8/24). The GLOBE & MAIL's Cathal Kelly wrote there could be an "existential threat emerging here." Kelly: "What if everyone starts thinking like Luck?" A league "lives on its stars." Regardless of "how good you are, it takes years to penetrate into the wider consciousness." Kelly: "What if the next generation of superstars decide getting beaten flat for 20 years is foolish? Or 10? Or five? That makes the product difficult to sustain" (GLOBE & MAIL, 8/25). In N.Y., Ken Belson writes Luck's retirement is "one of the more vivid examples of the changing dynamics of a league striving to portray the game as safer than ever while its players increasingly weigh the consequences of continuing a career where the long-term physical issues only build as the seasons pile up." The financial arrangements of today’s top players "often make it easier to retire comfortably before they hit 30." Players of Luck’s generation "now consider a more ruthless calculation of health versus money, and that is putting them in conflict with team owners" (N.Y. TIMES, 8/26). FS1’s Cris Carter said, “I expect this generation of football players to be smarter than my predecessors because they have better options and they have more information" ("First Things First," FS1, 8/26).
EXTRA SUPPORT NEEDED: In DC, Jerry Brewer wrote Luck’s retirement does "not necessarily" represent a "watershed moment for NFL players to be even more thoughtful about the dangers of the game." That would "take about a dozen players on the level of Luck" to quit around the same time to "spark a dramatic shift." Still, the NFL should "feel desperate to improve the way it trains and cares for athletes and how it manages their workload" (WASHINGTON POST, 8/25). Also in DC, Mark Maske writes Luck's early retirement is different than other players doing so "because he’s a quarterback and because it comes when the NFL, more than ever, is all about his position." The NFL’s leaders "know the key to having a game that’s aesthetically pleasing is to keep the standout quarterbacks healthy, on the field and doing their thing" (WASHINGTON POST, 8/26). SI.com's Conor Orr wrote Luck's retirement will "shake the league to its core." It will "arm the red meaters who claim this generation is just too soft," but it will also "embolden the football is evil crowd" (SI.com, 8/24). NBCSN's Chris Simms said this has "changed the landscape of the NFL" ("PFT," NBCSN, 8/26).
COULD HAPPEN MORE OFTEN: In Pittsburgh, John Steigerwald wrote it is "really kind of surprising, when you consider how much money NFL players are making, that more don’t do what Luck did" (TRIBLIVE.com, 8/25). In Minneapolis, Michael Rand writes today's players "don’t need football in the same way players did before them." That sentiment "should scare NFL owners, though probably not that much." It is "hard to imagine any sort of critical mass, even if retirements like Luck’s become more commonplace" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 8/26). THE MMQB's Albert Breer wrote fans "would be shocked how many players are just hoping to play long enough so that they qualify for a pension, or how many lose their love of the game while they are still good enough to play it" (SI.com, 8/25). In Ft. Lauderdale, Dave Hyde writes the "real surprise of Luck’s retirement is it doesn’t happen more often" (South Florida SUN SENTINEL, 8/26). ESPN's Karl Ravech said, "I was a little surprised about the shock that was being expressed. ... You put Andrew Luck's body on and you tell me how excited you are to go out and play" ("2019 Little League World Series: Hawaii-Japan," ESPN, 8/25).
LUCK'S OWN TERMS: In Toronto, John Kryk writes Luck’s retirement after four years of nearly constant injury rehab "should be admired." Kryk: "At least someone whose life was too far immersed in football has his priorities straight" (TORONTO SUN, 8/26). On Long Island, Bob Glauber wrote, "Credit Luck for a self-awareness that many elite athletes either don’t have or don’t want to admit." Luck grew "so weary of the process that he no longer loved the sport as he once did" (NEWSDAY, 8/25). THE ATHLETIC's Lindsay Jones wrote, "I want to celebrate an athlete taking ownership of his career and realizing that his life was bigger than football" (THEATHLETIC.com, 8/24). The AP's Tim Dahlberg wrote the price Luck was "paying was simply too much" (AP, 8/25). ABC's T.J. Holmes said, "He's making a statement: there's more to life than football" ("GMA," ABC, 8/26). ESPN’s Jalen Rose: “I actually honor an athlete that understands my mind, my body is breaking down on me, but I have more to life" ("Get Up," ESPN, 8/26). NBCSPORTS.com's Peter King writes, "I’ve been trying to put in perspective where this ranks in terms of stunning NFL retirements. ... I think the Luck retirement is the biggest shocker of them all" (NBCSPORTS.com, 8/26).
