Chris Long

I've heard a lot of people say you need white athletes to get involved in the anthem protests. I've said before I'll never kneel for an anthem, because the flag means something different for everybody in this country, but I support my peers.

It wasn't like I loved football from 12 on. It took time.

Football, for me, wasn't a foregone conclusion. My parents didn't force me into it, and quite the opposite happened.

If I never got cut, I wouldn't have the Super Bowl ring.

Playing eight years, never making the playoffs, you feel like you're running on a treadmill that's going nowhere. You're like, 'Is this it? Is this all football is?'

I do believe that clean water is the most efficient way to change the world.

I never mean to make a headline where it's like, 'Chris Long unsure.' I never try to make it sound like I'm under the impression it matters either way if I play or anybody cares.

Before I was a champion, I failed, and I was afraid.

You'll learn that the most worthwhile exercises are preceded by this very human phenomenon, fear. Marriage, parenthood, relationships.

Everyone fears change. But what you'll find is that change breeds your most important accomplishments.

You may doubt the significance of your work, but work faithfully anyways.

Some people are tired of hearing me tweet because they want me to stick to football but I like to use social media like I was a regular guy because I think I am.

This is not supposed to be a fascist country, where you are forced to do things you don't want to do. This is a free country.

I was a Panthers fan growing up, being close to Carolina.

I just like playing ball.

At 33 years old, I think any player my age should take time to take inventory and see what their situation is and see how the body feels.

My wife and I have been passionate about education being a gateway for upward mobility and equality.

I am incredibly thankful that football has provided me with a platform to give back and I am proud that so many of my colleagues have decided to use this stage to create positive and impactful change in our local communities and around the world.

I am honored to be named the 2018 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year and to join the long line of men who have received this prestigious honor.

At the end of the day, Coach Belichick does a great job of bringing in people he knows that will fit well.

I think preparing every week like it's the most important game in the world makes things a little easier once you get in situations where a lot more people are watching and it might be a lot more important for people outside of the building.

The lead initiative of my foundation is clean water, but not far behind it is military appreciation.

Actually, I wanted to play baseball. Honestly, I just think with a kid developing, playing a lot of sports, it's just kind of whatever you're good at.

I've been through nine camps, and they're all a little bit different, but at the end of the day, it's just football.

I do have great memories from when my pops got inducted. Obviously, knowing him and knowing how hard he worked in pro football for so long and what he sacrificed, the physical side of it, the injuries, and the grinding and now eight years into the NFL you know what hard work that is.

There's no secret about it: Every team does things differently. Seattle runs their program one way. New England runs it another way. Philly runs it another way.

Ties in the NFL absolutely suck. Trust me, I was involved with a tie against the San Francisco 49ers when I was with the Rams in 2012 and it felt pointless.

I do respect a man who doesn't settle.

Wherever I go and whoever I go play for, I'm a football player. I enjoy playing football, I enjoy the game, I enjoy being a teammate.

My dad taught me to work hard and to be the same guy every day. If that's going 100 miles per hour and working hard, then that's what I'll do.

I think that's just the way football is supposed to be played, at a high speed.

I'm a worker. I'm a grinder.

I've dealt every day of my life with my dad's career, the comparisons to him, with people wanting me to live up to him. I just put that stuff out of my head, I don't even hear it after awhile - I just turn my ears off.

My dad and I shared a lot of football memories.

If teams focus on me, that will allow my teammates to make plays.

The great thing is my dad was OK with whatever I wanted to do. He always supported me, and once I showed I was serious about football, that's when he really started to get involved and give me pointers.

Baseball was always my favorite sport, and I thought it would be the sport I'd pursue for the long term. But I guess about my sophomore year in high school, I started really getting into football, and then it just took off from there.

I don't know that I've gotten to the point where people know me more than my dad or that I ever will or even want to get to that point.

I look at the opportunity to play football as a blessing and I think what doesn't kill you certainly makes you stronger.

I'm a bit biased with my love for Kyle Long. I would say he's the best bald guard in football.

I think the one commonality between the two Super Bowl teams I've been on is great, great teammates. I can honestly say that guys in Philly could definitely thrive in New England and vice versa - if you throw out the scheme differences.

I've noticed that right tackles have gotten better in pass pro throughout my career.

I'm very proud of my dad. To me, there are comparisons, but there aren't comparisons. We kind of play two different positions. He's a Hall of Famer, I'm not a Hall of Famer.

I like having my dad around.

Even when I was being recruited here to the University of Virginia, a lot of people in my own community didn't think I was Division I football material because I played at a small private school.

There are always more people to prove wrong.

I wouldn't be anywhere close to where I am today without my pops. I think a lot of a football player's makeup is mental, and I've been blessed to have someone to learn from. Not just from a technical standpoint, but everything he taught me about being a hard worker, a teammate and just being a football player.

I think a lot of times with football players, we're just head down, grinding away, maybe not enjoying it as much as we should.

I joke that every time I'm in the playoffs, it feels like I'm in the Super Bowl.

One thing I take pride in is that I never cracked and stopped playing hard. There's something to be said for that, because life doesn't always throw the best situations at you.