Indiana Pacers star Victor Oladipo was asked at the Pacers media day about Indianapolis Colts star Andrew Luck retiring so early in his career and called out fans who have bashed Luck for the decision.
Oladipo pointed out how physical football is, and thinks that if someone is bashing Luck for the decision it says a lot more about them than Luck.
“If you can’t respect that, that has nothing to do with him … it has everything to do with you as a person. … Let’s be real. Those guys are out there basically killing themselves, every possession, every down.”
The fans have had harsh things to say towards fans, but Oladipo has been one of many athletes who have praised Luck for the way he handled the retirement.
Derek Carr said it's also a tough situation for Jacoby Brissett who has to be happy to start, but disappointed for Luck who felt like he needed to retire.
“You can't hide the excitement as a competitor,” Carr continued turning back to Brissett via NBC Sports. “So I'm sure he was excited, but you feel for your teammate. I'm sure he feels for Andrew. Like, Andrew didn't want to retire, right? His body had enough. Trust me, there are a lot of guys in the locker room who as soon as they retire, they're like, ‘Man, I understand.'
It's clear that Luck felt to be happy again he needed to hang up the cleats and it's good that he didn't fold under the pressure's other put on him.