Season Preview No. 1: On the surreal life of David Long Jr.
Our 2024 series is underway. First up, a linebacker who has been unleashing his pain on offenses... at a cost. (You won't want to miss this.)
Good afternoon, readers!
Football is almost here. Training camps start up soon. As always, that means another round of season-preview features right here at Go Long. Spent the offseason traveling the country to unearth stories worth your valuable time.
First up? “David Long Jr., and the beast within.” From afar, Long looked like a linebacker playing with his life on the line, a Point A to Point B wrecking ball. But, holy. I had no clue. The Miami Dolphins linebacker sat down for nearly three hours to share his chilling life story:
ICYMI:
Where to begin?
At age 7, Long was hit by a vehicle, flew over the windshield, crashed to the pavement and bled in the street. At age 8, a SWAT unit busted down his backdoor to take both of his brothers away. Long saw the life leave a beloved aunt with pancreatic cancer. On to college, three of his cousins were killed in rapid-fire succession. All were childhood friends. One of his brothers who spent an excessive amount of time behind bars — most of 2005 to 2020 — finally gained his freedom… only to be murdered in Atlanta eight months later. He was lured to an apartment complex by four women and executed.
All of it created the most violent linebacker in the NFL.
The man in the middle of this Dolphins defense is a throwback to Butkus and Nitschke and Lambert and LT. But… at what cost? He’s been a very angry person, on and the field. The survivor’s guilt has been suffocating. In so many ways, Long epitomizes the blessing and curse of the sport itself. The best of the very best on defense tip-toe dangerously close to their personal breaking point without crossing.
Long believes he has found that balance in Miami and that a life breakthrough will now lead to a breakthrough on the field.
“As you get older, you’re like, ‘Damn, why am I like this?’ I sit back and reflect. A lot of shit happened for me to be who I am. I don’t let life make me turn sour.
“I could.”
Long was unbelievably vulnerable and open.
Enjoy, and feel free to read and share with a friend.
Go Long is 100 percent fueled by you. I greatly appreciate your help in growing our community as our longform site enters Season No. 5. We’ll always strive to bring you football in the raw. Count on a season preview piece each Friday AM and I’ll also share our broader plan of attack for 2024 soon.
Kicking around the idea of supplying narrations to our longer stories, too. If that’s something that interests you, let me know. (Will post a Long narration by Monday.)
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