The Andrew Luck retirement is a story that just keeps gripping the National Football League fandom, isn’t it?

How could a player at age 29 say he’s all done? Hmmm, New England Patriot fans have an idea, don’t they? Yeah, think Rob Gronkowski, age 30.

Here’s the bottom line: Playing in the NFL is a tough, tough gig. It takes its toll on the machine known as the human body. An incredible toll.

The Indianapolis Colts were incredibly fortunate to be in a position to have two generational QBs in a row, Peyton Manning and then Luck.

But the bottom line is Luck just couldn’t take the punishment any longer. He had a mysterious calf injury that was going to keep him out a lot longer, it seems, than a few weeks. This is a guy who played with a bad shoulder and a lacerated kidney. Think about that.

Luck has clearly had this in mind for a while, and the Colts certainly knew it. He just didn’t wake up Friday or Saturday and think retirement was suddenly his best option. Luck is an extremely smart guy.

The Colts made a big mistake years ago by not giving this guy a cement wall of an offensive line to keep him healthy. You’ve got to protect your investment, and they didn’t do it until it was too late. Too often Luck was running for his life, and too often he was already injured during it.

Forget the timing. Luck wasn’t going to play for awhile, and he knew it. There’s probably a lot more we don’t know about his injuries, etc. Old friend Jacoby Brissett was going to be the Colts quarterback for the 2019 season.

Not surprisingly, Luck is being supported by some, shredded by others — the booing in Indy Saturday night was disgraceful – for his decision, mainly because of the timing.

“Go on IR, get away for a few weeks and think about it,” former longtime NFL QB and current CBS college football analyst Steve Beuerlein said in a tweet. “Get healthy for 2nd half of a season and make a run.”

Beuerlein criticized Luck for the timing, saying that to do it now is wrong. “NO scenario where retirement is defensible.”

Wow. On the flip side,

“Well it’s his life, everyone has the right to choose what they want to do,” Brady said during his weekly paid WEEI radio appearance Monday. “He had a great career, and he was a great player. Everybody wishes they could be healthy all the time, and it’s a contact sport, and he’s certainly had his share of injuries.”

As to the timing, Brady said “Guys retire at different times; some at the end of the season, I’ve seen a lot of guys retire before the season gets going, and this is just one of those examples.”

Patriots coach Bill Belichick called Luck “A good player” and said “I didn’t see that (coming), but I haven’t really followed (the Colts). You know, we all have to make our decisions, he made his. I respect it.”

The Colts are doing the right thing, supporting his decision, not burning any bridges in case Luck someday changes his mind. We don’t think he will. They’re letting him keep some $25 million they could contractually and by rule demand back.

“I never felt he owed me to play until he was 36 or whatever,” Colts owner Jim Irsay said. “It is an unusual situation. We just wish him the best.”

And that’s all anyone should do.

Tom King may be reached at 594-1251,tking@nashuatelegraph.com, or@Telegraph _TomK.

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