Kyle Long Is Done Settling for "Fine"

For most of his life, Kyle Long did what football taught him to do. Push through. The pain, the doubt, the fear, all of it. A first-round pick, a three-time Pro Bowler, the son of a Hall of Famer (Howie Long) and the brother of another NFL veteran (Chris Long). On the outside, everything looked like it was working. Underneath, he was fighting something he did not yet have the words for, and he was trying to fight it alone.

This Men's Mental Health Month, the former Bears lineman is telling that story on purpose, as a lead voice for Generation Fine, a campaign he is fronting in partnership with Johnson & Johnson. The idea behind it is simple and stubborn: "fine" should not be the finish line.

We sat down with Long to talk about the bus he could not get off, the people who reached him, and what he wants every guy reading this to do next.

This Men's Mental Health Month, the former Bears lineman is telling that story on purpose, as a lead voice for Generation Fine, a campaign he is fronting in partnership with Johnson & Johnson.

The idea behind it is simple and stubborn: "fine" should not be the finish line.

We sat down with Long to talk about the bus he could not get off, the people who reached him, and what he wants every guy reading this to do next.



You've been public this year about your own story. What made now the moment?

My wife and I have talked about this a lot in recent years. She's an all-star, and I'm sure she has her own stuff and her own confidants. For me, I needed to find a way to talk about things, and the hard part was that I couldn't find people I could relate to. So I started talking to a lot of football players about it. When Johnson & Johnson approached me this offseason, I thought, thank God, here's a platform I can actually use, because these are the most important conversations to have.

Football is this big, and life is this big. If you leave football and you're not done with it mentally, that follows you. A lot of my struggle is dealing with stuff I can't change. I don't have a time machine. Having a plan moving forward is the biggest part, and it impacts everybody: the wives, the kids, the loved ones. I'd love for guys to enjoy the majority of life instead of dwelling on something they can't change.

I put it like this. Mental health is like turbulence. Sometimes you barely notice it. Sometimes you're trying to draft a text to someone you love because you're not sure the plane is going to land. We all deal with a spectrum of it, and the common denominator is that everybody is dealing with something.

In football you're taught to push through pain, doubt, and fear. When did you realize you were running that same play on your mental health, and that it wasn't working?

It was 2016. The Bears had a joint practice with the Colts. If you don't know what that is, every team has training camp, and in the last week they bring two teams together. It's like having two dogs barking at each other for weeks and then putting them in the same yard. Every coach, both GMs, the ownership, everybody is there. There was so much pressure. People looked at me like I was a dam, like, if he holds up, we'll be okay. That's a lot to carry as an offensive lineman.

After one practice, hot and physical, I got back on the bus and everybody left. They went to lunch, to film, to the shower, to physical therapy. I just sat there. I could not move. I had never cried that hard in my life. Eventually they're going down the roster, like, where is number 75? And it was our quarterback, Jay Cutler, and our offensive coordinator, Adam Gase, who came down to the bus. Instead of telling me to get to the meeting, they sat down next to me, put an arm around me, and said, take all the time you need, big guy.

That was the first time anybody showed me it was more than just the meat grinder of the NFL, that there were people who could relate to what I was going through. When my dad played, there was no help at all. When I played, we had incredible people in the building, and their doors were open. I just hope that trend keeps going.

The campaign is about refusing to settle for "fine." Why is that word so dangerous, especially for men?

Picture going to the store for a good cut of meat. You find it, you love the marbling, you bring it home. You marinate it, you let it come to room temperature, you cook it, you let it rest. Your partner takes the first bite and says, it's fine. Why did we do all of that just to be fine? Think about everything you did today before this interview, all the steps and decisions, and it's like that every single day. Why would you do all of that just to be fine? Why can't we aim for something better?

For me it's a simple ask. Take a look at your mental bank account and find out where the holes are. Figure out what's worth fixing now and what can wait. It's taking inventory. I've been doing it for a few years, and I still have many pages to go in my Rolodex of red flags, but I've cut out some big ones, and it's helped my wife and my kids. It's nice to see your kids smile more when you're aware of what you're carrying and you're not bleeding it onto everyone else.

"It's okay to have feelings. Not everybody's Batman. I know I'm not. I'd be a really bad Batman."

A lot of guys think feeling okay is the finish line. What do you want them to understand about what's actually possible?

Go back to the grill. If you grill all the time, and let's call living life grilling, you end up with a tray full of grease. If you don't address it, your patio gets disgusting, then it's on you, then the roses can't grow, and now you're bleeding onto everyone around you. So clean it out.

Make a phone call to an old teammate. I called my dad the other day and told him to call somebody he's thought about but hasn't talked to in a while, and I promise that person picks up. If they don't, they call you back. It's like throwing a seed in the dirt and waiting for rain. Just watch what happens.



You've said a turning point was being honest with your support system, including a professional. What finally made you say it out loud?

One of those open doors was a psychiatrist named Gloria. I won't share her full name, but she was an angel in my life. She was one of those people you just feel at home around. Thank God she was in that building at that time, because that's what I needed. It started as a friendly check-in, hey Kyle, how are you feeling, I saw there was a tussle at practice today. She could see what I was going through before I ever confirmed it out loud, and she was amazing at setting the stage for me to actually feel it. That was cathartic. I'd sit on that couch, and then I'd go beg other guys to go in there too, because I knew it would help them.

At one point, under the supervision of medical professionals, I tried a medication. It didn't work out for me at the time, partly because of the weight you have to maintain as a player. But I'd urge anyone to talk to somebody, whether it stays a conversation or turns into something more. It pays dividends. What some people see as weakness, I see as a tremendous badge of honor and courage.

What do you say to the guy reading this who recognizes himself but still thinks asking for help is weakness?

There are people in your life, sometimes the ones you'd least expect, who turn out to matter most. When I met someone like that, I felt something. I thought, I'd love to have a beer with this guy, and I bet he'd lend a good ear. Everybody's got a good ear somewhere in their life. Sometimes you just need to get it out. It could be words, it could be tears, you might need a big hug. I'm a big hug guy. Sometimes my wife and I literally stop and say, let's do a hug.

So to that guy, find somebody. I know they're out there. It doesn't have to be your mom, your wife, your girlfriend, your brother, or your best buddy. There's somebody out there. Reach out and say, I think I know I'm not alone, but can you just tell me I'm not alone in feeling this way? And do you know anybody else who feels like this, or can you put me in touch with someone?

Football was your identity for most of your life. How did you rebuild a sense of self after the game, and where does fitness and routine fit now?

I still don't fully know what my identity is. I've only built the foundation. For me that foundation was marrying a woman I love and trust and who is brilliant, and having two beautiful daughters with her. That's the box. Now I get to fill it in, and I'm figuring it out every day. I just got a promotion at CBS, which is a lifelong dream, working in sports media. You keep your head down and work for years, and then you look up. I've been at it five or six years since I retired, telling myself I had no identity, and then I look up and realize I'm Kyle Long the analyst on The NFL Today, I do CBS HQ, I've called college games, and I have a family. There's a lot more there than just a guy in a helmet.

When I first decorated my house, it was all helmets and footballs and plaques. Now I want books in here, and paintings. It's time to grow up. Tuck the shirt in. Your mom doesn't work here, like the equipment managers in Chicago used to tell us when they made us pick up our own messes.

What does a grounded day look like now?

Coffee with my wife first thing, before the kids wake up. Get outside and let the dog out. We love our dog, a big German shepherd named Bear. He's a great companion. I need to swim at least once a day, or at least be fully immersed in something, an ice tub, a hot tub, a pool somewhere. I like low impact. I'm an old dog, so if I can move without banging up the joints, that's a win. I still like the explosive stuff when I can. I play golf, but not like Freddie Couples. I'm trying to crank the RPMs and see how far I can hit it. I'm not going to shoot 65, so why not swing the club 135?

At night, once the girls are asleep and the dog has chased the frisbee to near death, I play Counter-Strike. I've been playing since middle school. I struggled to make friends in school, I was never the cool kid, so I played a lot of PC games. It's still my escape when everyone's asleep.

If a reader takes one action after this, what should it be?

Call somebody you should call. Not somebody you could call. Somebody you should call. There's a big difference.



Long stays active on Twitter and Instagram, and he leaves readers with a phrase his dad borrowed from coach Chip Kelly and made his own.

"Win the day. It's so simple, and you can take it anywhere. Some days you may have to tailor it down to win the next action, or even the next non-action. I don't do live, laugh, love on the wall, but I might put up win the _____________________."



If anything here hit home, you don't have to push through it alone. You can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline anytime, 24/7. To learn more about moving beyond "fine," visit Generation-Fine.com.

Generation Fine is a campaign from Johnson & Johnson. Long is a compensated advocate for the campaign.

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This story was originally published June 20, 2026 at 5:12 PM.