{"id":28296,"date":"2026-09-24T17:14:58","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T17:14:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=28296"},"modified":"2026-09-24T17:14:58","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T17:14:58","slug":"kyle-long-reveals-how-nfl-pressure-injuries-and-depression-took-a-heavy-toll-and-why-therapy-became-a-turning-point-nfl-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=28296","title":{"rendered":"Kyle Long reveals how NFL pressure, injuries and depression took a heavy toll and why therapy became a turning point | NFL News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-134465553,imgsize-53853,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/134465553.jpg\" alt=\"Kyle Long reveals how NFL pressure, injuries and depression took a heavy toll and why therapy became a turning point\" title=\"Kyle Long reveals how NFL pressure, injuries and depression took a heavy toll and why therapy became a turning point\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"Kyle Long reveals how NFL pressure, injuries and depression took a heavy toll and why therapy became a turning point\">Kyle Long reveals how NFL pressure, injuries and depression took a heavy toll and why therapy became a turning point<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Former Chicago Bears guard Kyle Long is speaking openly about anxiety and depression during his NFL career, including a difficult day at training camp when he felt unable to leave the team bus.<!-- --> In an interview with PEOPLE, he said therapy, honest conversations and support from people close to him helped him understand what was happening. Long is now sharing his experience through Johnson &amp; Johnson\u2019s Generation Fine campaign.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"3\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>Kyle Long opens up about depression during his NFL career<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>Long said his mental health struggles may have started when he was young. He had trouble explaining how he felt and believed it was simply part of growing up. After entering the NFL, playing pressure, injuries and losing games brought stronger fear, stress and anxiety.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"8\"\/>\u201cThat\u2019s when it became tangible stress, fear and anxiety,\u201d Long told PEOPLE. \u201cAnd then you start losing games and you start to really sink into that depression. It becomes something that, in the moment, feels like you\u2019re the only person on the planet who\u2019s dealing with it.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"10\"\/>Long spoke with his father, Hall of Famer Howie Long, and brother Chris Long. Still, Long felt he had to handle his problems and keep going.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"12\"\/>That became harder during the 2015-16 preseason. He was dealing with an injury and the pressure of being one of the older players. He said players were expected to stay composed even when struggling.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"16\"\/>\u201cOne day at training camp, we were on our way back from practice and I just could not get off of the bus to go back to the hotel,\u201d Long recalled. \u201cIt just felt like I had a truck on top of me and I couldn\u2019t move.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"18\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>Kyle Long says therapy changed how he manages anxiety and depression<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>That day changed his view of his mental health. He was encouraged to look around the locker room and think about what his teammates might also be facing away from football. <!-- -->He realized he was not alone and needed to take his mental health seriously.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"23\"\/>Long says therapy and openness have helped him manage anxiety and depression over time. He also learned to seek medical help instead of simply pushing through his feelings.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"26\"\/>\u201cI am in a constant \u2018working on it\u2019 phase,\u201d he told PEOPLE. \u201cYou lift weights, you run sprints, you eat healthy, you get eight hours of sleep, you go see a physical therapist. <!-- -->For me, that missing thing was speaking with a medical professional and finding out why I\u2019m feeling the way that I\u2019m feeling, and then knowing that \u2018fine\u2019 is not the finish line.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"30\"\/>Long is now a studio analyst on CBS Sports\u2019 The NFL Today, joining the show in 2026. He is also working with Johnson &amp; Johnson\u2019s Generation Fine campaign, which encourages people to look beyond simply saying they are \u201cfine.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"32\"\/>Johnson &amp; Johnson said in May that Long had battled depression at different stages of his life, including during his NFL career. The company said the campaign encourages conversations with healthcare providers. Long\u2019s experience shows why he believes talking about what is happening can be an important part of getting support.<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/sports\/nfl\/news\/kyle-long-reveals-how-nfl-pressure-injuries-and-depression-took-a-heavy-toll-and-why-therapy-became-a-turning-point\/articleshow\/134465553.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kyle Long reveals how NFL pressure, injuries and depression took a heavy toll and why therapy became a turning point Former Chicago Bears guard Kyle Long is speaking openly about anxiety and depression during his NFL career, including a difficult day at training camp when he felt unable to leave the team bus. In an [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28297,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/134465553.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/134465553.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/134465553.jpg","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/134465553.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/134465553.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/134465553.jpg","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/134465553.jpg","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/134465553.jpg","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/134465553.jpg","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/134465553.jpg","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/134465553.jpg","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/134465553.jpg","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/134465553.jpg","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/134465553.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"Kyle Long reveals how NFL pressure, injuries and depression took a heavy toll and why therapy became a turning point Former Chicago Bears guard Kyle Long is speaking openly about anxiety and depression during his NFL career, including a difficult day at training camp when he felt unable to leave the team bus. In an [&hellip;]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":3,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":3,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/134465553.jpg",400,225,false],"medium":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/134465553.jpg",300,169,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/134465553.jpg",150,84,false]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/author\/admin"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"<a href=\"#\" class=\"category-link category-link-31\">\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28296"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28296\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/28297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}