97.1 The Ticket -- Andrew Luck shocked the football world late Saturday night when he announced his retirement from the NFL.
The story broke and began developing on social media as the Colts-Bears preseason game in Indianapolis was winding down.
As word spread across Lucas Oil Stadium that their once beloved replacement of quarterback Peyton Manning was calling it quits, a shocking scene broke out: fans booed Luck as he walked to the locker room in street clothes.
Andrew Luck gets booed walking off the field as fans learn about his reported retirement(via @RichNye13, h/t @brgridiron)pic.twitter.com/vbks2IIUe9
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 25, 2019The Ticket's Pat Caputo called the fans' reaction stunning, especially in an age where NFL fans are all too quick to criticize players who put their livelihoods on the line every time they take the field.
"I find the hypocrisy of football to be somewhat shocking sometimes. This thing with Andrew Luck retiring, obviously he's beaten down physically and mentally. He's given his all to the sport of football. And for him to walk off the field and be booed by the fans in Indianapolis, to me, was just absolutely stunning," Caputo said.
Luck was the Colts' No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft and brought the team to the playoffs in four of his six seasons, including a trip to the AFC Championship Game in 2014 and an historic comeback against the Chiefs in the 2013 Wild Card round.
After battling some of his many injuries in 2015-16, he sat out the entire 2017 season and returned a year ago to lead the Colts back to the playoffs and earned NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors.
"Here's a guy that was Comeback Player of the Year and did all these things for the Colts and obviously, he can't go on for physical reasons," Caputo said. "I'm all for holding athletes accountable for performance, but I think you cross the line when you're talking about their health and who they are as people and reacting that way. I've been to Indianapolis quite a few times. I always thought they were the salt of the earth people, but shame on the Colts fans, shame on that reaction and good luck to Andrew Luck. I mean that sincerely. I think he made the right decision, because obviously, he couldn't play this very, very difficult sport any longer."
In his press conference Saturday night, Luck acknowledged the boos.
"I'd be lying if I said I didn't hear it," he said, according to the Indy Star. "It hurt."
