Eagles’ Chris Long announces retirement after 11 NFL seasons
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Eagles defensive lineman Chris Long has announced his retirement from football, ending an 11-year NFL playing career that included winning two Super Bowl titles and the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.
Long posted his decision Saturday night on Twitter , saying it has “been a hell of a journey” and adds that “I can honestly say I put my soul into every minute of it.”
The 33-year-old Long, the son of Hall of Famer Howie Long, had 70 career sacks and 15 forced fumbles in stints with the Rams, Patriots and Eagles. He won back-to-back championships with the Patriots (2017) and Eagles (2018). Long was selected last February as the league’s Walter Payton Award recipient for his outstanding community service.
In 2017, Long donated his entire salary to support education in cities where he has played: St. Louis, Boston and Philadelphia.
Last year, Long climbed Mount Kilimanjaro with other NFL players and some U.S. military veterans to raise money to build clean water wells for East Africa.
He was the second overall pick in the 2008 draft by the Rams out of Virginia. Long spent his first eight seasons in St. Louis before signing with New England as a free agent in 2016. He played his final two seasons with Philadelphia after joining the Eagles as a free agent.
