Luck forgoes NFL stardom and sends important (and rare) message

I stood on the sidelines in South Bend this past October and couldn’t help but be inspired as I watched Andrew Luck dismantle my Irish. 

I knew this kid was special, but now this?

If you ask most people about Andrew Luck’s decision to pass on the NFL Draft and return to school, they will likely conclude that he just gave up $50 million. He just made the biggest mistake of his life.  They’ll bring up all the reasons why he should have taken the money. He was the #1 pick in the draft and was guaranteed to make more money than any other NFL player before taking a single professional snap. They’ll defend their position with “how can anyone turn down that kind of money? He has his whole life to go back to school! What if he gets hurt next year? What if his stock drops to middle-late 1^st round? 2^nd round?

And they could be right.  Andrew’s luck may have run out with his decision today.

But what if Andrew is right?  What if he follows in the footsteps of Peyton and Tebow and takes a Harbaugh-less Stanford program all the way to a national title? What if he takes home the Heisman? What if his decision to pass on the draft means he avoids a hapless Carolina Panther franchise that would have been forced to start him as a rookie? What kind of debut could Luck have behind an offensive line in shambles?  All of a sudden, the hype is shattered. Fans are screaming BUST. He’s now appearing in Top 10 lists with the likes of Jamarcus Russell, Alex Smith, and Ryan Leaf as one of the great first-round busts who won the lottery but never amounted to squat in the NFL. 

Of course, he’d still have $50 million in the bank, right?

I love Andrew Luck’s decision. As most analysts responded today, Luck “shocked the football world” with his decision.  Maybe so, ESPN, but it’s still a shame that his decision “defies conventional wisdom;” that his choice is one that few could bring themselves to make.

Andrew Luck set out to earn the most important achievement in his life – not a hefty NFL contract, but a degree from Stanford University. He promised his family he would do whatever it took, and with his decision today, he sent the message loud and clear to millions of aspiring high school athletes that core values can’t be bought. Not even if the offer is unbelievable fame and fortune.

Andrew Luck will graduate from Stanford with a degree in Architectural Design. He’ll spend one more year with his closest friends and then enter the NFL Draft.  He may still go #1 overall and pundits will cry, “See, I told you he made the right decision.” Then again, he may go #74, and critics will be first in line to author the greatest cautionary tale ever told. 

Pay no mind, Mr. Luck. You know what you want. Your values are far too important. You’ll be wearing an NFL uniform soon enough, and you’ll be paid more money than any of us could ever imagine.  But first, you have a degree to earn. You have a team to lead. You have a job to finish.

And instead of millions of dollars to count right now, you have millions of people to inspire. Including me.

- Rex Grayner, SAS President