Patriots QB Tom Brady reflects on Andrew Luck's retirement from NFL: 'It's his life'
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was the latest to weigh in on Andrew Luck's stunning retirement from the NFL, saying he's supportive of the former Colts QB's decision.
"It is his life,” Brady said Monday morning on WEEI Sports Radio in Boston. “Everyone has the right to choose what he wants to do. He had a great career, and he was a great player. Everybody wishes they could be healthy all the time. It is a contact sport, and he's certainly had his fair share of injuries, so guys retire at different times. Some at the end of the season, and I have seen a lot of guys retire before the season gets going and this is just one of those examples."
Luck, 29, announced his retirement Saturday night after the Colts' preseason game against the Bears. He cited a grueling and frustrating rehabilitation process in recuperating from injuries as the reason, explaining it has “taken the joy out of this game.”
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Luck had been dealing with a lingering calf injury in his left foot that spread to his ankle. He missed the entire 2017 season with a right shoulder injury.
Brady, who turned 42 on Aug. 3, is set to enter his 20th season and has been a paradigm of consistency and production throughout his career.
He has missed games due to injury only once in his career — in 2008 when he suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 1 .
"I think it's everything,” Brady said when asked how he has been able to maintain his conditioning and his love for the game. “There's definitely a physical element. There's definitely an emotional element. I think there is a mental element. Everything in my view really has to come together for you to be the best version of yourself as a player, and it takes a lot of support. It takes a lot of people. You see, certainly, you can see me as an individual doing that.
“I have the support of my teammates, my coaches, my family, my friends, (personal trainer) Alex (Guerrero), my training system. All those things really need to come together in order to continue to achieve.
New England coach Bill Belichick was also asked about Luck's announcement. Perhaps throwing some shade at a long-standing AFC rival, Belichick said he hadn’t seen the news.
“He’s a good player,” Belichick said Monday in a press conference. “I didn’t see that, but I don’t really follow them. We all have to make our decisions. He made his and I respect it.”
The Colts, meanwhile, are trying to move on and have stressed that they feel they can compete with Jacoby Brissett, a former Patriots quarterback, now penciled in as the starter.
Colts fans, however, might be having a harder time moving on. The last time Luck walked off Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Saturday, fans booed him as reports surfaced of the announcement.
"I think emotions are just that,” Brady said of Luck being booed. “They come and go. In the moment, I try and not make any decisions on emotion. We are emotional beings. They just ebb and flow. That is just part of life in my view."