Getty Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers spoke out after Colts fans booed Indianapolis quarterback Andrew Luck after news broke Saturday that he was retiring from the NFL.
The fallout from Saturday night’s league-shaking news that Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck is retiring from the NFL has brought both shock and aww — and boos, as Colts fans did loudly as Luck walked off the field at Lucas Oil Stadium for quite possibly the last time.
While some have criticized Luck’s decision, including one radio host who incurred the wrath of many with a hot-take tweet following the news, the 2018 NFL Comeback Player of the Year has received his fair share of support from his peers, including two-time MVP Aaron Rodgers.
Andrew Luck gets booed walking off the field as fans learn about his reported retirement
(via @RichNye13, h/t @brgridiron)
On Monday, Rodgers said during an interview with SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Sports Radio that he found the reaction of Colts fans to be “a little disgusting” after the home crowd booed Luck off the field after ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the news during the team’s third exhibition game against the Chicago Bears.
“Surprise was the first emotion,” Rodgers said of his reaction to hearing the news. “But I think the second is a little disgust maybe at the way it was handled, him getting booed, the word leaking out the way it did. I thought that was a little disgusting because here’s a guy making a quality-of-life decision and he’s given a lot to the game. Although he’s not a 15-year vet, but he’s put himself through a ton just to get back on the field when you think about the injuries he’s had over the last three or four years.”
Exclusive: Aaron Rodgers tells @AdamSchein he felt “a little disgust” with the way the Andrew Luck situation was handled, from the fans booing on Saturday night to the way the news leaked out about Luck’s retirement
Luck was reportedly planning to inform his Colts teammates about his retirement on Sunday before Schefter released the information, forcing next-day press conference to unfold in Saturday night’s postgame.
During the national broadcast of the game, Luck could be seen on the sideline with his teammates as some discovered the news on their phones. Fans, too, were shown on camera reacting in real-time to star quarterback’s decision to walk away from the game for good.
Andrew Luck said he expected to tell his teammates that he was retiring Sunday, before his timeline got moved up.
Since being taken with the first overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, Luck has battled injuries all throughout his professional career. He missed most of the 2015 season and the entire 2017 season with injuries, despite being named a Pro Bowler during his first three seasons in the league.
A lingering ankle injury that has held him out of much of Colts training camp appears to be among the reasons why Luck has now decided to end his career at 29, and Rodgers supports his choice having endured his own season-hindering injuries.
“Just rehabbing every single day and dealing with pain and having to do so much to try to get back out there just wore on him mentally,” Rodgers said, “and I can totally relate to that, having a couple of major injuries myself where you miss a ton of time. Those are tough days, I think he should be championed and appreciated and given the praise he’s due for making the decision that’s in the best interest of himself and his wife and his family.”
Rodgers has also missed some of this year’s training camp for the Green Bay Packers with back tightness, but his absences were moves of precaution designed to help the franchise’s star quarterback comfortably return to full strength between the regular-season opener on Sept. 5 against the Bears at Soldier Field.
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Aaron Rodgers Sounds off on Harsh Andrew Luck Retirement Reaction