Andrew Luck's retirement, and pain he endured, hit close to home for former Charger

When Andrew Luck recently announced his retirement at age 29, citing the physical and mental toll of coming back from injuries, NFL fans were stunned. Some NFL players, less so. One of them, former Chargers offensive lineman Rich Ohrnberger, 33, explained why during an interview with Times reporter Sam Farmer:

I was dumbfounded when those fans booed Andrew Luck when news broke that he decided to retire. I couldn't believe the reaction. I searched for a reason, and the only thing I could come up with is fans don't have a good enough education on what an NFL player goes through behind the scenes.

What it's really like when injuries pile up and their diminishing passion for the sport forces them to make the hardest decision they've ever made, the decision to walk away from the game.

I know. I've been through it.

I was drafted in the fourth round by New England in 2009. I spent three years with the Patriots, one with the Arizona Cardinals and two more with the San Diego Chargers.

I was a 310-pound guard, and it's the most anonymous position on the field. If you hear your name announced, it's probably because you did something wrong.

Don't confuse this as a call for sympathy. This is simply an education in a very representative NFL career. This is the rule, not the exception.

I never had a real surgery before I got to the NFL. The closest thing was a procedure as a freshman at Penn State to repair a tendon in my pinkie. Lots of soft tissue injuries, ankle sprains and stuff, but never a major injury.

But immediately after my rookie season with the Patriots, I needed shoulder surgery. I had to have part of my clavicle removed on the left side, and a repair on a torn