Andrew Luck shocked the world on Saturday, when he announced his retirement from the NFL. Although Colts fans and some fantasy football players were upset with Luck's decision, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, wants the former starting quarterback to move on to greener pastures.
"I hope he becomes President of the United States," Jones said on Saturday when asked about Luck's abrupt retirement. Jones then went on to elaborate on why he thinks Luck decided to step away from the game.
"To play football and everything that’s involved in playing this game, you’ve got to have your mind and heart not only committed to completely buying into, completely doing it," Jones explained. "But you’ve got to almost be over-committed to doing it because you get so many No's... You get so many No's. Everybody does that plays this game. No's are everywhere."
The news broke ahead of the Colts preseason contest against the Chicago Bears. According to former Pro Bowl offensive lineman Joe Thomas, Luck reportedly told the Colts about his decision in March. He then went on to suggest that Luck has an internal struggle that goes beyond football.
Although the 29-year-old was ruled out for Saturday's game due to an ankle injury, Luck still supported his team by showing up on the sideline and offering advice to his teammates during the game. But when time expired, Luck's exit was met with loud boos from Colts fans. Initially, Luck had planned to make his official announcement on Sunday. But following the response he received, he decided to hold an impromptu, 25-minute press conference.
"I've been stuck in this process," Luck began. "I haven't been able to live the life I want to live. It's taken the joy out of this game... the only way forward for me is to remove myself from football. This is not an easy decision. It's the hardest decision of my life. But it is the right decision for me."
While fans weren't soothed by his explanation, players around the league either held their tongue on the topic or offered Luck some support. When asked about Luck's retirement, Dallas quarterback, Dak Prescott, said it would be "unfair" to judge Luck without knowing what was going through his mind. Dez Bryant meanwhile, took to Twitter where he said that he's "100%" behind Luck's decision.
On Sunday, ESPN reported that Luck reached a "financial settlement" with the Colts, who will not take any of the $12.8 million he could have owed the team. "It's a tough thing, look it, he's leaving $450 million on the table potentially," team owner Jim Irsay said. "I mean, a half a billion dollars, and he's saying, 'You know what, I want to have my integrity. I have to be able to look (wide receiver) T.Y. (Hilton) in the eye, look my teammates, look coach, look (GM) Chris (Ballard) and say, I'm all in,' and he just didn't feel he could do that."
