The NFL was rocked by the news of Indianapolis Colts star quarterback Andrew Luck announcing his decision to retire on Saturday night. Luck is just weeks away from turning 30 years old.
As news of his decision has caused a ripple throughout the league, many players, coaches, and NFL personalities have all reacted to his retirement. Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay was one of those many people.
According to Stu Jackson of TheRams.com, McVay respects Luck’s decision and supports him in whatever he chooses to do next:
“What a great player he is. I’m sure that he’s been going through a lot of things to make this decision. You feel for him, you feel for his teammates, but he’s the epitome of class. He’s been a great player, great competitor. I don’t know enough to really have any more of an opinion other than I have a lot of respect [for him], he’s been a great player and I hate it for our game to lose such a great player due to injuries when he’s only been playing for so many years but he certainly has made his presence known in this league.”
Luck has dealt with a myriad of injuries throughout his career and is currently dealing with a calf strain in his left leg. He had yet to play in the 2019 preseason.
News of Luck’s retirement leaked during the Colts preseason matchup against the Chicago Bears due to a tweet from ESPN’s Adam Schefter. After that, Luck held an emotional impromptu press conference to officially announce his retirement.
Luck made it seem as if some amount of mental fatigue may have set in due to the constant rehab process he repeatedly faced. He did not play the entire 2017 season due to a shoulder injury, but came back to play the entire 2018 season. He helped lead the Colts to the playoffs where they fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round.
With Luck gone, this definitely thins the field of contenders in the AFC. The Colts were expected to have one of their better seasons and even had decent Vegas odds to win the Super Bowl. The door is now slightly more open for the Chiefs, the Los Angeles Chargers or the New England Patriots to make it to the Super Bowl.
The Rams are not scheduled to play the Colts this season.
