Andrew Luck didn’t let ego prevent him from making a sound decision.
Luck put his health and wellbeing first over the weekend, electing to retire from the NFL after seven seasons. Injuries and the toils of rehab evidently caught up to the 29-year-old, who admitted Saturday he’d lost his joy for the game as he clawed his way back.
Indianapolis quickly is turning the page, and it’s now Jacoby Brissett’s time to shine under center. Colts head coach Frank Reich is excited about Brissett’s potential and hinted as much during a recent conversation with Luck. But instead of being sour at the idea of someone taking his place, Luck embraced the reality of the situation.
“My heart and soul go out to Andrew,” Reich told NBC Sports’ Peter King. “I love him like crazy. He is an incredible generational player. This hurts, and it hurts deep. But at the same time, I can be equally excited about our season and for our team, and for Jacoby. Those emotions don’t have to be mutually exclusive. I can make those statements without being disrespectful to Andrew. And one of the thing I love about Andrew is he understands that.
“We actually had that conversation. I told Andrew before all this was decided, ‘You know, when I’m talking to the media, I’m gonna tell them, ‘Hey, if Andrew’s not there, we gotta go.’ So it was like, If you’re not there, we’re going with Jacoby, and we’re going forward.
“Andrew said, ‘Isn’t that what’s great about the game?'”
The bottom line is, 99 percent of football players are replaceable. Colts fans themselves probably thought the sky was falling when Peyton Manning dealt with a neck injury en route to his departure from Indianapolis. It didn’t take much time at all for Luck to take over the reins and restore excitement to the franchise. We’re not saying Brissett will be the next Manning or Luck, but Colts supporters should wait and see what they have in the fourth-year QB before jumping to any negative conclusions.
It’s time to move on in Indianapolis. Luck certainly has.
