We all deal with heartbreaking news in different ways. I understand that most on ROD are accepting that it's a 100% certainty that AD is sticking to his retirement.
As for me, I'd prefer to hold out a glimmer of a hope that AD might change his mind. People have complicated and often contradictory feelings. I can guarantee that there will be some days that AD will miss the game so much that he'll feel tempted to come back.
With football, AD was a workaholic passionate freak. How easy will it be for him to transition to the boring life of hanging out at home with his kids?
Below, a link to a list of NFL stars who famously "un-retired" after calling it quits. (Brady, Gronk, Favre, Deion, Marshawn Lynch, Ricky Williams, R Cunningham, Charles Haley, and Reggie White, just to name a few). I think there's a very small chance that AD changes his mind. Maybe only a 5% chance. But I've seen enough guys "un-retire" that I just don't think the odds are zero. Just my 2 cents.