Out of Luck

Football season is upon us and I’m excited. As you should know from previous blog posts, I’m a huge Cincinnati Bengals fan but after hearing of Andrew Luck’s story, I’m now a fan of his too.

Luck, who was the quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts, announced he’s retiring from the game. The very successful player, who’s only twenty-nine, stunned the world with his announcement.  By Luck being so young and in the prime of his career, why would he leave?

Although, we as fans of football love the game, it is a gruesome sport. Often, I watch games with the pillow up to my face like I’m watching a scary movie, especially when someone gets hurt. You just don’t know when a player gets hit and falls down if he’ll ever be able to get up again. I remember a few years back my guy and I watching the Pittsburg Steelers take on my Bengals.  Ryan Shazier, former Ohio State University Buckeye, got hit hard and went down. Unfortunately, he was left with some paralysis.  It took him a long time to recover from the hit.  Thankfully, Shazier is back on his feet and doing well. Who knows if he’ll ever be able to play the game again due to his injury but it’s a blessing he’s alive.

Luck, who has suffered many injuries, made the decision to retire so that he may have a better quality of life. During his announcement, he mentioned his wife was expecting and this was one of the reasons he decided to leave. He wants to be in good health and see his child grow up. You can’t really blame him for that.

You know my saying, “before you leave this earth, everyone will have a disability”.  And not that there’s anything wrong with having one but if you can prolong the inevitable, I think you should.  Andrew is only twenty-nine and is in a position where his income will probably see him through all of his days. He’s young and has a lot of living to do. This is the perfect time for him to make another career choice or just chill and do nothing if he chooses.

There will come a time when we all will have to make a decision that others aren’t going to be in favor of; but at the end of the day, as long as you’re ok with the choice you make, that’s all that matters.

I know football is a major part of some people’s lives. It’s also a big money maker. I’m just hoping we won’t lose sight of what a dangerous game it is. I heard on the news the enrollment of young boys now playing football is down by nine percent because of the dangers associated with the game.

I wish Luck peace, joy and happiness as he embarks on a new stage in his life. As we go forth, let’s remember, football is only a game. Let’s not get upset when one chooses not to play.

 

7 comments on “Out of Luck

  1. Michelle on

    Very well put, Shari. I know he got a ton of push back when he made his announcement, but shame on them. It’s his life, he makes the decision of what’s best.

    Reply
  2. Jerome Haney on

    I would often hear while growing up, “You are no good to others, if you don’t first have yourself together.” Working with the DDI Program, I always want to be better each day, than I was the day before. Enjoyed reading this blog as always.

    Reply
  3. Jerome Haney on

    P, S. Now I am a Pittsburg FAN! 🙂 My nephew and I go at each other during this season. He too is a Bengals favorite. We often do things to each other, that we know we don’t like when it comes down to our team. Yet, it is clean rivalry. :: – )

    Reply

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