Joe Burrow, Andrew Luck and word that matter

As Joe Burrow spoke yesterday, on his 29th birthday, it was impossible to not be struck by his tone, body language, and word choices.

“If I want to keep doing this, I have to have fun doing it. I’ve been through a lot. If I’m not having fun, what am I doing it for?”

“I think I’ve been through more than most, and it’s certainly not easy on the brain or the body.”

Q: "You seem frustrated?"

A: "There are just a lot of things going on right now. A lot of things going on."

Q: Football related or personal?

A: "All of the above."

Out of curiosity, I went back and listened to Andrew Luck's retirement announcement, at age 29. It's eerie to hear the crossover feelings expressed by Luck on August 24, 2019:

“For the last four years or so, I've been in this cycle of injury, pain, rehab, injury, pain, rehab, and it's been unceasing, unrelenting, both in-season and offseason, and I felt stuck in it. The only way I see out is to no longer play football.”

“It’s taken the joy out of the game, and after 2016, when I played in pain and was unable to regularly practice, I made a vow to myself that I would not go down that path again. I find myself in a similar situation and the only way forward for me is to remove myself from football and this cycle that I’ve been in.”

"I'm in pain; I'm still in pain."

"I’ve come to the proverbial fork in the road, and I made a vow to myself that if I ever did again, I’d choose me, in a sense.”

“Part of my journey going forward will be figuring out how to feel better.''

Let me be clear, this isn't me saying Joe Burrow is going to 'pull an Andrew Luck." Please, reread that sentence.

But make no mistake, Burrow was clearly taking inventory of his life, his emotions, and his mental and physical state on a day he blew out the candles for his 29th birthday.