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Former Chicago Bears Pro Bowl guard Kyle Long was interviewed this week by NFL analyst Ian Rapoport on his weekly show RapSheet + Friends. It was Long’s first major national interview since he announced he was stepping away from football on January 6.
Long was taken by the Bears in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft, and he spent seven years with the team, or, as he jokingly told Rapoport, it was more like “three and a half” due to the numerous injuries he endured over the years. When Rapoport introduced him as “retired Bears offensive lineman Kyle Long,” Long made an interesting amendment to that sentiment — which he elaborated on again later.
Kyle Long on Retirement: ‘I’m More on Hiatus’
Long responded to Rapoport by noting that he was done with football — for now. “It’s nice to be able to have a break,” Long said. “And I keep hearing the word ‘retired’ and you know, the air quotations ‘retirement’ and what that entails, and I think I’m more on hiatus trying to figure out what is next,” Long noted.
Rapoport then asked the former Bears guard what he planned on doing next, and Long listed a good deal of things: “I’m big into the Esports scene,” Long began, also noting his love for sim racing and NASCAR. Long mentioned that he also plans to race cars in the future, saying that he has always been interested in racing while also bringing up that his dad, Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long, won an off road race in the 1980s.
Long told Rapoport that while he was playing in the NFL, his contracts would have never allowed him the opportunity to delve into car racing. Now that he’s on hiatus, he can explore that interest more fully. Long also noted that he would be open to a broadcasting or radio career, joking “I’ve got a face for radio.”
Long on Why He Left Football: ‘It Was the Easiest Decision’
When the conversation came around to why he hung up his cleats, Long told Rapoport that he no longer recognized himself when he watched his plays on film. “It was the easiest decision I’ve ever made. Because I didn’t recognize the guy on film,” he said about his decision to leave. “I was an ass-kicker … there became a point where I couldn’t do that anymore.”
Noting he would never play for another NFL team — only the Bears — Long then said something very interesting. “Could I have played more? Absolutely. If I took a year off, could I go play three, four more years? No doubt in my mind. Do I want to do that? Well, that remains to be seen, which is why I use the term ‘hiatus.'”
Long made it clear once again that should he play again, which is doubtful yet possible, he would only play in Chicago.
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