The hardships of 11 former NFL players show why Andrew Luck’s early retirement shouldn’t come as a surprise

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Andrew Luck shocked the NFL world when he announced his retirement on Saturday – two weeks before the start of the 2019-20 season.
The former first overall draft pick has suffered a litany of injuries. Most recently, Luck was sidelined due to a calf and ankle injury.
As more information is released regarding the physical and mental tolls of football, players have chosen to take matters into their own hands.
However, some still face hardship in the aftermath of retirement.
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Andrew Luck shocked the NFL world when he announced his retirement on Saturday – two weeks before the start of the 2019-20 season.

The former first overall draft pick has suffered a litany of injuries in his career. Most recently, Luck was sidelined due to a calf and ankle injury.

"I’m in pain; I’m still in pain," Luck said. "It’s been four years of this pain, rehab cycle. It’s a myriad of issues — calf strain, posterior ankle impingement, high ankle sprain. Part of my journey going forward will be figuring out how to feel better.”

At 29 years old, Luck is not the first to retire due to injuries. From chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) to mental health, here are 11 players who have struggled after retiring from the NFL.

Jim McMahon

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Former quarterback Jim McMahon was diagnosed with early-onset dementia in 2009 after retiring from football. He also struggles with depression, memory loss, and severe headaches.

Throughout his 14-year professional career, he said he had three to five diagnosed concussions with no way of knowing how many he incurred. A broken neck also went undiagnosed by a team doctor, according to McMahon. It resulted in excruciating pain caused by spinal fluid in the brain. Every few months his neck needs to be realigned to drain the fluid.

McMahon also became addicted to prescription narcotic painkillers that he took throughout his career for his neck, shoulders, and arms. He said he would take 100 Percocet pills a month to help the pain before using medical marijuana.

McMahon was one of seven former NFL players who sued the NFL in 2011 for negligence, which resulted in a $765 million settlement.

Randy Grimes

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Former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Randy Grimes developed an addiction to pain killers over his 10-year career.

In an interview with WDIV Local 4 in 2017, Grimes said he would take 30 pills a day. On some days, that number would escalate to 45.

He eventually went to Behavioral Health, a rehabilitation facility in North Palm Beach, Florida. Today, he counsels others who are battling an addiction to pain pills.

Gale Sayers

Former Chicago Bears halfback Gale Sayers was the youngest player ever inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977. His career was cut short by knee injuries.

He was diagnosed with dementia in 2013, but his wife Ardie Sayers believes its onset was years before. Some days he struggles to speak, while other days he struggles to do things. He also experienced memory loss.

While the diagnosis cannot be fully traced to Gale Sayer’s football career, doctors believe it played a role.

Sayers received a settlement from the NFL’s concussion lawsuit.

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