Colts QB Andrew Luck announces retirement from the NFL at the age of 29
Indianapolis fans booed Luck as he walked off the field for the final time following a preseason game.
Andrew Luck’s decision to retire from the NFL followed by Indianapolis Colts fans booing the quarterback over the weekend spurred emotional reactions from players around the league Monday.
Luck, 29, announced his retirement Saturday after the Colts’ preseason game against the Chicago Bears. However, ESPN’s report of his decision broke during the game, which led to fans booing the quarterback as he left Lucas Oil Stadium potentially for the final time.
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Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers called the report and the reaction “disgusting.”
Rodgers took issue with the way Andrew Luck's retirement was handled. (AP)
“Well, the surprise was, obviously, the first emotion,” Rodgers said during an interview with Sirius XM’s Mad Dog Sports Radio on Monday. “But I think the second is a little disgust, maybe, at the way that it was handled. Him getting booed, the word leaking out the way that it did, I thought that was a little disgusting because here's a guy who's making a quality of life decision.”
Rodgers also commended Luck on being “unselfish” in his decision and for not getting paid to be on the injury reserve during the season.
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David DeCastro, a two-time All-Pro offensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers who roomed with Luck while the two played at Stanford, said that he wasn’t too surprised by his former bunkmate’s decision to retire but didn’t appreciate Colts fans raining down boos at the end of the game.
“It’s just sad,” DeCastro told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “People treat us like we’re circus animals.”
Rodgers and DeCastro echoed what Luck’s now-former teammates felt as well.
Jacoby Brissett is set to take over as Colts' quarterback. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
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“I had already had conversations with Andrew, so I was at peace with it, but I wish he could have done it his way,” Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett said, according to CBS Sports. “That sucked as a teammate, to see that and feel the reaction he got from the fans for him. That hurt more than anything. It sucked. Especially a guy like that, who has done as much as he has done, and what he's been through, even before I got here.”
Colts offensive lineman Ryan Kelly called the moment ‘bu-----t," according to Monday Morning Quarterback writer Albert Breer.
Luck announced his retirement Saturday in an emotional press conference.
“I am going to retire. This is not an easy decision. It's the hardest decision of my life. But it is the right decision for me."
Luck also said his inability to get completely healthy had taken a toll.
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“I'm in pain, I'm still in pain. It's been four years of this pain, rehab cycle,” he said. “It's a myriad of issues — calf strain, posterior ankle impingement, high ankle sprain. Part of my journey going forward will be figuring out how to feel better.”
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