Jan. 5 (UPI) — Chicago Bears offensive lineman Kyle Long announced Sunday on social media that he was retiring after seven seasons in the NFL.
“Some Chicagoans are probably happy to hear I’m finally stepping away and getting my body right,” Long wrote on Twitter. “Some Chicagoans may be sad to hear this. Either way [you] feel about it, I want [you] to know how lucky I am to have spent time in your city. I became a man while playing in Chicago. Thank you.”
The Bears selected Long in the first round (No. 20 overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft out of Oregon. He missed one game over his first three seasons in the league but appeared in only 30 regular-season matchups over the last four years due to multiple injuries.
Long, 31, suffered a significant ankle injury in the 2016 campaign that forced him to miss the final eight games that season and the first two contests in 2017. He ended up sitting out six games in the 2017 season because of multiple ailments and underwent neck, shoulder and elbow surgeries in the off-season.
Long started the Bears’ first seven games in 2018 before the team shut him down due to a foot injury. He returned in Week 17 and played in Chicago’s postseason loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last January.
Long opened the 2019 regular season in good health but sustained a hip injury during practice before a Sept. 29 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. He returned to the Bears’ starting lineup against Oakland on Oct. 6, but the team opted to place him on injured reserve following the loss to the Raiders.
Some chicagoans are probably happy to hear I’m finally stepping away and getting my body right. Some Chicagoans may be sad to hear this. Either way ufeel about it, I want u to know how lucky I am to have spent time in your city. I became a man while playing in Chicago.Thank you️— Kyle Long (@Ky1eLong) January 6, 2020
Long was a three-time Pro Bowl selection and was named second-team All-Pro in 2014.
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