By: Victor Olorunfemi

Andrew Luck's retirement caught the NFL world by surprise, here you had one of the best quarterbacks in the entire league retire at an age (29) where he was supposed to be in his prime. There was speculation as to what could have led to his decision but ultimately Luck revealed that he had fallen out of love with the game after years of rehabbing through various injuries. After all, this was a guy that missed the entire 2017 season due to a shoulder injury and missed 9 games in 2015 due to a lacerated kidney, not to mention all the other injuries he courageously played through. The 2018 Comeback player of the year and MVP candidate announced his retirement and chaos ensued shortly after. The Colts fans booed and NFL analysts gave their unwarranted opinions. The reality is Andrew Luck beat the system and made a decision best for him and his family moving forward.

Andrew Luck at 29 is a newly married soon to be father. With a growing family and over 100 million dollars earned from 7 NFL seasons, it's hard to see exactly why this is not the best decision for Andrew Luck. Imagine you were in the same scenario where you have earned more than enough to take care of you and your family for generations and you no longer had to work a job that put you at risk for brain damage in your later years, would you not consider leaving that same job. 

 I don't need to point to the studies on CTE or the horror stories of former NFL greats struggling physically and mentally in the wake of their NFL careers or the studies that liken an NFL game to a car crash. The reality is with the money players are been paid nowadays and the propensity of NFL Teams to treat their players more like replaceable furniture than actual human beings, then the only answer is to leave while you are ahead. Go in, make as much money as you can and leave with your health still intact or at least close to it.

Arian Foster, Calvin Johnson, and Joe Thomas are just a few among many high profiled players who have cut their career short in recent years. Arian Foster even went as far as to say if he could have done it all over again then he would not have played football. It is naïve to ask these players to risk their long-term health in exchange for a few fleeting years of glory. I am pro Andrew Luck in this circumstance. Make your money and get out.