Breaking - Andrew Luck to retire (1 Viewer)

[sports_fan]

Schefter's job is to report news. He had a story so he reported it (probably as soon as possible). Not sure how you can criticize him for the timing of it.

 

[Neil Beaufort Zod]

I feel like there are some people getting off without any criticism here and IMO they should be criticized. The first is whoever leaked Luck's retirement to Schefter. That was an incredibly crappy and petty thing to do. There was zero reason to not just let Luck inform his teammates and go out the way he wanted. The disrespect in leaking the news to Schefter is disgusting.

Speaking of, I know it's his "job" and in today's world speed is everything, but Schefter breaking the news when he did was really crappy. That timing is what lead to the (presumably minority) of Colts fans to take the opportunity to boo him. It was tremendously disrespectful to Luck and reporting his retirement before Luck was ready to and before he had a chance to handle it the way he wanted treated Luck now better than Luck was treated by the Colts for most of his career and by the booing fans. To Schefter, Luck was just a piece of news, a "get", and reporting it first just another feather in his cap. There was zero humanity or care for Luck in doing what he did and I have lost a tremendous amount of respect for Schefter because of this. Reporters LOVE to write about how teams treat players like assets and chew them up and spit them out without any care for the people, but modern journalists do the same thing over and over again.

To not report news of this magnitude would be the breach of ethics. Reporters report. It is their job to get the information correct, and when they don't we can and should criticize them roundly. But when they report accurate information, they're doing their job, unless it's a matter of national security or something, and the information puts lives in danger. 

The information was correct. Nothing wrong with reporting accurate information. If someone knew about it to leak, then people already knew before his teammates. He could have gone to them before the game, in the locker room. He was alone with all of them, and chose not to tell them. I'm sorry, but that was his choice.

It was not disrespectful to Luck to report the truth. It would have been disrespectful to his readers and his employers to not report it. Just my opinion.

 

[dnurk]

Gronk retired at the best possible time for the Patriots -- before free agency, the draft, and everything else. They had all the time in the world to prepare for his 2019 departure. The Colts have a couple weeks to replace a more-important position than TE. 

I understand why the timing frustrates people. But these discussions could have gone in for a while between the player and the team. We're finding out now, but the team could have known for some time that this was a possibility.

Assuming the team had some knowledge of this decision ahead of time, it's just a situation that got worse over time. Couldn't be helped. If he sprung it on them out of nowhere, terrible timing and I don't think it was a respectful way to leave your team right before the season. But Luck doesn't seem to be a shady guy. He seemed earnest at his press conference, so I'll assume it's more likely the former. He probably kept holding out hope that things would change, but his mind and body weren't cooperating. 

The Colts brass and Luck said at press conferences last night that they knew for about a week and a half that he made this decision. If you read between the lines it sounded like Irsay was trying desperately to convince him to change his mind but he was done. 

Colts didn’t know this was coming until recently. 

 

[Neil Beaufort Zod]

The Colts brass and Luck said at press conferences last night that they knew for about a week and a half that he made this decision. If you read between the lines it sounded like Irsay was trying desperately to convince him to change his mind but he was done. 

Colts didn’t know this was coming until recently. 

That's good info. Thanks. That tells me he made his decision then, but who knows how long he was showing signs he wasn't into it, maybe floating the idea of retiring? Maybe telling coaches he didn't think he could go through this? Maybe saying "It's not worth it" and "I could just retire and forget all this" and the like? If your star QB is saying that in the spring (just saying if that happened) you might want to make plans for the future.

But if this came out of the blue as the preseason was underway, I think he did a disservice to his team that could have spent the draft and free agency finding replacements. 

 

[32 Counter Pass]

What about his teamates?  Does Luck owe nothing to them?

As the saying goes, it is a business. So no, no loyalty owed to teammates. His loyalty should be to living out his life as he chooses. 

 

[Ilov80s]

Schefter's job is to report news. He had a story so he reported it (probably as soon as possible). Not sure how you can criticize him for the timing of it.

Sure and this is where we are at now with news which is unfortunate. Journalism should be about telling the comprehensive inside story of what happened, not about firing off a 140 character Tweet about it just to be the first. 

 

[Ilov80s]

I imagine being in your 20s and already being in pain everyday for several years in a row has to be really mentally draining and as one is approaching 30, has to have them becoming a bit pessimistic about how the next decade is going to feel. 

 

[wgoldsph]

I'm 31.  I can see exactly where luck is, looking at 50 and thinking "if I keep doing this for ten more years, I won't be able to get out of bed in the morning in twenty."

Also he's a smart guy, he knows all about the CTE research.  That has to have factored in.

 

[Neil Beaufort Zod]

Sure and this is where we are at now with news which is unfortunate. Journalism should be about telling the comprehensive inside story of what happened, not about firing off a 140 character Tweet about it just to be the first. 

There will be a comprehensive inside story. There will be quotes and in-depth coverage. But in 2019, the public doesn't have to wait until everyone is ready to hear the narrative they most prefer. They can get the basic info now, and then get more info later. I think that's fair.

 

[ghostguy123]

What would Luck owe to his teammates?  His life?

 

[Ilov80s]

There will be a comprehensive inside story. There will be quotes and in-depth coverage. But in 2019, the public doesn't have to wait until everyone is ready to hear the narrative they most prefer. They can get the basic info now, and then get more info later. I think that's fair.

Sure, but it's disrespectful to the people they are covering. I am not blaming Schefter because it's what everyone does and if he didn't, someone else would. My issue is we can't just cover events as they happen, we want the media to break the events before they happen and often become part of the story. Instead of a person who we have admired and who has been a very respectful to the public, fans and organization  getting to say goodbye to his teammates and fans on his own terms, it gets thrown out on social media and he has to react, get ambushed by the fans. It just is indicative of a general lack of class that is all too common IMO. 

 

[Neil Beaufort Zod]

Sure, but it's disrespectful to the people they are covering. I am not blaming Schefter because it's what everyone does and if he didn't, someone else would. My issue is we can't just cover events as they happen, we want the media to break the events before they happen and often become part of the story. Instead of a person who we have admired and who has been a very respectful to the public, fans and organization  getting to say goodbye to his teammates and fans on his own terms, it gets thrown out on social media and he has to react, get ambushed by the fans. It just is indicative of a general lack of class that is all too common IMO. 

I see what you're saying. We're just a speed-obsessed society, and technology allows for immediate information.

And really, Luck controlled the narrative. He knew when he was retiring before anyone else. He chose not to tell his teammates for days. He chose not to tell them that very night in the locker room. He chose not to tell them while he was on the sidelines. And he obviously told some people, because it leaked, and he didn't tell his teammates. That's his decision, and that decision comes with the risk of people finding out. 

In retrospect, he probably would have told his teammates right after he told the team. I don't fault reporters for reporting, nor do I think it's even a bad thing that it was reported. I think Luck could have done a better job of informing everyone before it got out. He'll be fine and the fans will be fine. They just need some time to process. 

 

[Ilov80s]

I see what you're saying. We're just a speed-obsessed society, and technology allows for immediate information.

And really, Luck controlled the narrative. He knew when he was retiring before anyone else. He chose not to tell his teammates for days. He chose not to tell them that very night in the locker room. He chose not to tell them while he was on the sidelines. And he obviously told some people, because it leaked, and he didn't tell his teammates. That's his decision, and that decision comes with the risk of people finding out. 

In retrospect, he probably would have told his teammates right after he told the team. I don't fault reporters for reporting, nor do I think it's even a bad thing that it was reported. I think Luck could have done a better job of informing everyone before it got out. He'll be fine and the fans will be fine. They just need some time to process. 

This is a good point and we obviously don't know the details yet. Maybe even Luck asked for this leak because he didn't know how to tell people. Maybe it was Irsay  because he had known for awhile and felt it was time for Luck to come out with it. No matter what, it will be interesting to hear all the details on this.

 

[cobalt_27]

Sure and this is where we are at now with news which is unfortunate. Journalism should be about telling the comprehensive inside story of what happened, not about firing off a 140 character Tweet about it just to be the first. 

That’s not necessarily the scope of journalism.  It happens all the time that news is broken without understanding all the context.  Journalists report and try to fill in the gaps later.  That’s exactly what happened. 

 

[Ilov80s]

That’s not necessarily the scope of journalism.  It happens all the time that news is broken without understanding all the context.  Journalists report and try to fill in the gaps later.  That’s exactly what happened. 

I understand that. I am criticizing that model.

 

[cobalt_27]

I understand that. I am criticizing that model.

And I think the unintended consequences of being more restrictive would be far worse.  

 

[Ilov80s]

And I think the unintended consequences of being more restrictive would be far worse.  

I don't think it should be illegal or anything. It's just a matter of how the media treats the people they cover. Are they human beings that they work in symbiosis with or are they just a means to your own end. All journalism will exist somewhere on this continuum and there are certainly many times when a story should be released immediately (planned invasion, Sec of Defense is being fired, company being investigated for fraud, etc). I don't think a football player retiring is the kind of thing that requires getting out in front of. Now, I certainly don't know all the details here and this could be a case where Luck or others in his camp released this and were ok with it running. 

 

[ghostguy123]

I understand that. I am criticizing that model.

It's what the fans want.  Hence why they do it.

 

[cobalt_27]

I don't think it should be illegal or anything. It's just a matter of how the media treats the people they cover. Are they human beings that they work in symbiosis with or are they just a means to your own end. All journalism will exist somewhere on this continuum and there are certainly many times when a story should be released immediately (planned invasion, Sec of Defense is being fired, company being investigated for fraud, etc). I don't think a football player retiring is the kind of thing that requires getting out in front of. Now, I certainly don't know all the details here and this could be a case where Luck or others in his camp released this and were ok with it running. 

It’s a fair perspective and I can appreciate where you’re coming from.  And I think it’s an impossible—and potentially damaging—practice to expect/demand journalists to play psychologist and sociologist, getting inside the head of the individuals on whom they are reporting, inside the heads of others affected, and calculate the societal impact.  

If the story is accurate and it’s newsworthy, report. 

 

[Ilov80s]

It's what the fans want.  Hence why they do it.

I understand that "will it make me money" is the main question considered in these matters but doesn't make for the best, most accurate or most respectful media either. It promotes the media version of ambulance chasing. 

 

[Ilov80s]

It’s a fair perspective and I can appreciate where you’re coming from.  And I think it’s an impossible—and potentially damaging—practice to expect/demand journalists to play psychologist and sociologist, getting inside the head of the individuals on whom they are reporting, inside the heads of others affected, and calculate the societal impact.  

If the story is accurate and it’s newsworthy, report. 

Very fair and I understand that side of it as well. At this point everyone knows the game, so it was it is. 

 

[DirtyCashDylan]

Ok so what are the chances Luck takes a year off and heals up and feels great and wants to come back? Are we all just dropping him from dynasty leagues?

 

[Rhythmdoctor]

Ok so what are the chances Luck takes a year off and heals up and feels great and wants to come back? Are we all just dropping him from dynasty leagues?

I personally think this is a likely scenario.  I think he takes 1-2 years off and comes back.

 

[Grigs Allmoon]

I feel like there are some people getting off without any criticism here and IMO they should be criticized. The first is whoever leaked Luck's retirement to Schefter. That was an incredibly crappy and petty thing to do. There was zero reason to not just let Luck inform his teammates and go out the way he wanted. The disrespect in leaking the news to Schefter is disgusting.

Speaking of, I know it's his "job" and in today's world speed is everything, but Schefter breaking the news when he did was really crappy. That timing is what lead to the (presumably minority) of Colts fans to take the opportunity to boo him. It was tremendously disrespectful to Luck and reporting his retirement before Luck was ready to and before he had a chance to handle it the way he wanted treated Luck now better than Luck was treated by the Colts for most of his career and by the booing fans. To Schefter, Luck was just a piece of news, a "get", and reporting it first just another feather in his cap. There was zero humanity or care for Luck in doing what he did and I have lost a tremendous amount of respect for Schefter because of this. Reporters LOVE to write about how teams treat players like assets and chew them up and spit them out without any care for the people, but modern journalists do the same thing over and over again.

After the initial shock of the news sunk in, I had some of these same thoughts run through my head last night, especially during Luck's presser when he mentioned the plan was to announce all this "tomorrow at 3 PM" (today). I definitely felt bad for him on how everything was leaked (Read: ruined).

That said, I totally agree with the general sentiment of your post. Schefter, and others really seem to be "crossing lines" a lot lately. Their whole industry has been feeling greasier and greasier for several years now. It wouldn't surprise me if some day one of these guys gets their teeth kicked in for "breaking" something that wasn't supposed to be broken.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Having a degree from Stanford doesn't hurt.  Having said that, I hope he doesn't go in the direction of TV because he's too ugly.

Andrew Luck doesn't need to work another day in his life.  His degree from Stanford is irrelevant, because he'll never spend a single day as a practicing architect.  His appearance and voice are irrelevant because he'll never appear on a television program except for maybe an interview when he feels like it.  He's 29 and has the world at his feet.  Deal with it.

 

[JohnnyU]

Andrew Luck doesn't need to work another day in his life.  His degree from Stanford is irrelevant, because he'll never spend a single day as a practicing architect.  His appearance and voice are irrelevant because he'll never appear on a television program except for maybe an interview when he feels like it.  He's 29 and has the world at his feet.  Deal with it.

Ever hear of

 

[KellysHeroes]

I hate losing Luck on my Fantasy Line Up and also on the TV, great player.  But I also understand why he did.

Enjoy live Big Guy

 

[Leroy Hoard]

I was thinking that at for about schefter but I’m sure the guys drafting in $200-$1000 entry leagues appreciated the news. 

You can say that twice.

 

[voiceofunreason]

It’s a fair perspective and I can appreciate where you’re coming from.  And I think it’s an impossible—and potentially damaging—practice to expect/demand journalists to play psychologist and sociologist, getting inside the head of the individuals on whom they are reporting, inside the heads of others affected, and calculate the societal impact.  

If the story is accurate and it’s newsworthy, report. 

Oh please. Schefter isn’t a journalist more than a garbage man is a sanitation engineer.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Gronk retired at the best possible time for the Patriots -- before free agency, the draft, and everything else. They had all the time in the world to prepare for his 2019 departure. 

Perhaps more the difference between teams than players. Patriots set up their players to get rings.

 

[Hankmoody]

Yeah, Colts fans REALLY dont know how good they've had it. Not once....but twice.....they fell ###-backwards into a hall of fame caliber QB that passed up being the #1 pick in the draft the year before to go back to school.

Good think Trevor Lawrence isn't a year older.

Win 5 game in 2019.
Chad Kelly starts the last 8 and wins 3
Go into 2020 in Tank for Trevor mode.
Win 1 in 2020, Luck into Trevor Lawrence.
Profit.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Ever hear of

I don't think you're being sarcastic. I think you're being salty.

I'm from Indiana originally.  If I had a second team, it would be the Colts.  I loved Manning (GOAT IMO), and I wanted to love Luck.  I'm just saying good for Luck for walking away now if he sincerely feels that he's not into football anymore.   

 

[cobalt_27]

Oh please. Schefter isn’t a journalist more than a garbage man is a sanitation engineer.

Sure he is.  Graduated from one of the best Journalism programs in the country.  Just because it’s not politics or public affairs doesn’t make what he does and the standards of his practice any less than journalism.

 

[Maximus*]

Besides Luck, I was trying to think of players who retired way too soon for whatever the reason and that it was a shocker:

Jim Brown and Sandy Koufax are the two obvious ones from the past. My Dad god bless his soul, if he were alive would still be telling me that Jim Brown was the best RB he ever saw and that Koufax for those 5-6 years, there was no one in baseball history who was as dominant as Koufax was during those years in the mid 60's in LA. When those two retired, it was a huge shock....Brown because he wanted to be an actor and Koufax due to his arm which couldn't take it anymore.

Those two were in my Dad's generation and players he saw play. For me tho, there are 4 that I can come up with that I've seen play that were shockers when they called it quits:

Bo Jackson- If anyone saw him play both baseball and football as I did, it's hard for anyone to convince me that this guy to this day wasn't the greatest athlete who ever lived. That hip injury he suffered if y'all recall didn't even look that bad when it occurred but it ended up ending his football career unfortunately and he was never the same again on the baseball diamond. I couldn't believe he was going from Bo can do everything to Bo can't do **** anymore just like that. 

Barry Sanders- Funny, he was the first guy I ever drafted in fantasy football which was back in 1997...wow can't believe I've been doing fantasy football, baseball and hockey for 22 years. We used to use fax machines back than for stats....what internet? lol.  Anyways, no one was more exciting with the football in his hands that I've ever seen than Barry. I recall being dumbfounded when he said he was thru as he had just come off a great season with Detroit. He was special to watch.

Robert Smith- Ex-Viking RB but a very smart guy...I think he wanted to become a doctor. But he was a great back and I owned him a few times in fantasy and he won me some money and a title or two back in the day seeing he was kind of underrated and was a bit injury prone from recollection. But when he was healthy....he was a bad man running with the rock. Total shock when he retired on top of his game

Megatron-Calvin Johnson- Another Hall of Famer who was still top of his game who just decided he'd had enough. To this day, Megatron is the best and most exciting WR I've seen in the past 20 years...he was awesome.

And now Luck. Pretty wild but if this is what he wants to do and he can't take the injuries anymore at 29, who are we to argue. Me personally, I wish him nothing but the best,  thank him for some great memories and in particularly as a parting gift apparently for me, for helping me win a fantasy title last year in my longtime 22 year old auction $$ league....cheers Andrew.... 

 

[TwinTurbo]

I'm 31.  I can see exactly where luck is, looking at 50 and thinking "if I keep doing this for ten more years, I won't be able to get out of bed in the morning in twenty."

Also he's a smart guy, he knows all about the CTE research.  That has to have factored in.

Also Luck is 29 but looks like he's 40 and probably feels like he's 50. Some people just age better than others, plus he took a lot of big hits. Factoring in all the serious injuries and related chronic pain,  I can't fault him for walking away. 

 

[skol asylum]

Best of luck Andrew. Thanks for being a big piece of a successful dynasty team. I hope you heal up and enjoy your retirement.

 

[wgoldsph]

I don't think it should be illegal or anything. It's just a matter of how the media treats the people they cover. Are they human beings that they work in symbiosis with or are they just a means to your own end. All journalism will exist somewhere on this continuum and there are certainly many times when a story should be released immediately (planned invasion, Sec of Defense is being fired, company being investigated for fraud, etc). I don't think a football player retiring is the kind of thing that requires getting out in front of. Now, I certainly don't know all the details here and this could be a case where Luck or others in his camp released this and were ok with it running. 

Football is a multi-billion dollar industry that employes millions of people if you include the manufacturers and sales people of equipment and merchandise.  Gambling on games is also legal in multiple states.  A high profile player effecting the fortunes of not just his team, but the futures of every team by the domino effect /is/ as big a news story as something like a company being investigated for fraud.

 

[Long Ball Larry]

Interesting that Luck and Gronk retired at the same age with completely different narratives and reactions.

i think this suggests that the timing of luck's announcement is really by far the predominant factor.

 

[Penguin]

Gil Brandt @Gil_Brandt

Most passing TDs in first 6 NFL seasons:

Dan Marino 196

Andrew Luck 171

Peyton Manning  167

Russell Wilson 161

Most passing yards in first 6 NFL seasons:

Peyton Manning 24,885

Dan Marino 23,856

Andrew Luck 23,671

Matt Ryan 23,472

 

[cobalt_27]

Interesting that Luck and Gronk retired at the same age with completely different narratives and reactions.

And fan bases. Say what you will about M#######s, no way they boo Brady, Gronk.  They get it.  Indy fans who booed and the fans defending them should be ashamed at how childish, petty, and self-focused they are in a moment like this.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

Ripple effect; TY Hilton went 4.02 in a 20+ year 12 team redraft tonight. 

 

[IheartGuinness]

And fan bases. Say what you will about M#######s, no way they boo Brady, Gronk.  They get it.  Indy fans who booed and the fans defending them should be ashamed at how childish, petty, and self-focused they are in a moment like this.

Shortly after I graduated college, I went though a period of soul-searching, trying to figure out what I wanted to do in life (still working on it many years later, by the way). For a time, I had a job at a company that manufactured parts for water softeners. I wasn’t there very long, but during my tenure I got to see the day that old Tinny O’Neil finally retired.

Tinny had been a dependable presence out on the floor and a great raconteur during our allotted fifteen-minute cigarette breaks and over beers at happy hour. He also ran the weekly office confidence pool during football season and the March Madness brackets each year. When he retired two weeks before Thanksgiving, we were all surprised. We wished him well and gave him an appropriate send off. But things were different after that.

No one stepped up to handle the confidence pools and they immediately ceased. The March Madness pool followed suit, and our brackets were left empty that year. I now regret that send-off and the drinks we bought old Tinny. If I could do it over again, I’d go back to his last day on the job and handle things differently. I’d berate that old man until my throat was sore. Leaving us in the lurch like that is something I should never have allowed. I think of those empty confidence pool sheets, those vacant brackets…and I think how I should have let him have it that day. He would've deserved it, after all.

 

[Ilov80s]

Football is a multi-billion dollar industry that employes millions of people if you include the manufacturers and sales people of equipment and merchandise.  Gambling on games is also legal in multiple states.  A high profile player effecting the fortunes of not just his team, but the futures of every team by the domino effect /is/ as big a news story as something like a company being investigated for fraud.

He was announcing it like 16 hours later. Now sure it did have an impact on fantasy some football drafts. Outside of that, zero impact. 

 

[BobbyLayne]

Unlike Lions with Calvin Johnson, Colts not recouping any of Andrew Luck’s signing bonus

Luck gets to keep the $12.8M signing bonus. Under the CBA, Irsay could have recouped the prorated portion of the signing bonus.

The Cowboys did the sane thing for Romo.

The Lions made Megatron & Barry pay theirs back. ‘nufced 

 

[Insein]

Firm NO for me on this.

Wonder if waiting till now has anything to do with ticket sales.  Did waiting a few months make the organization more than 24 million?

Luck probably had an idea about this in the Early off-season bit Irsay and Grigson told him to suck it up for the team (and the ticket sales). Finally, Luck realiz d he couldn't do it. Most likely at the start of training camp but Irsay and Grigson again tried to stall for time and to keep the fan base from panicking. I totally believe management kept Luck from coming out as long as they could to keep the tickets and concessions flowing in the preseason. Bit that's just Irsay.

 

[JohnnyU]

Luck probably had an idea about this in the Early off-season bit Irsay and Grigson told him to suck it up for the team (and the ticket sales). Finally, Luck realiz d he couldn't do it. Most likely at the start of training camp but Irsay and Grigson again tried to stall for time and to keep the fan base from panicking. I totally believe management kept Luck from coming out as long as they could to keep the tickets and concessions flowing in the preseason. Bit that's just Irsay.

You do realize Grigson was fired before the 2017 season (2 full seasons ago).

 

[Insein]

You do realize Grigson was fired before the 2017 season (2 full seasons ago).

Yea my bad. Meant the current GM. Brain fart.

 

[steelers1080]

Luck has every right to retire, and I don't begrudge him for it. But I also think that Colts fans have the right to be disappointed. He was their hope at getting another SB, and likely that won't happen in the next few years unless they tank again and get Lawrence.  

As a Steelers fan and someone with 0 investment in Colts players in Dynasty, see ya later. Enjoy your trip around the world or whatever. 

 

[GroveDiesel]

Former NFL QBs criticizing Luck.

 

[hammerva]

I’m not a Patriots fan, but you’d NEVER see Foxboro rain down boos on Tom Brady for retiring, even if it was a day before the season started.  

If they hadn't won any championships they would.   I mean I didn't hear people feel sorry for Bledsoe after getting his guts scrambled on that hit that Wally Pipped him