He quit. Period. The problem is people assume that is implying something negative about it.
Quitting smoking, quitting drinking, quitting jerking off in the bathroom stall at Burger King are all positive acts. So is quitting playing football when your body is beat up.
Doesn't make Luck a hero though. Just another person quitting something to better his life.
Disagree, quitting is a pejorative term, and it doesn’t fit this situation because he’s not leaving for a similar career that may or may not have better opportunities, or giving up out of weakness. Luck is ending his career as a football player, and that’s called retiring.