Chris Long's journey won't end Sunday

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Whether he’s celebrating or commiserating after Super Bowl LII on Sunday, Chris Long will soon find himself moving on and turning his attention elsewhere.

The 10th-year defensive end, who joined the Philadelphia Eagles this season after playing for the Patriots in 2016, is headed to Tanzania not long after the game. It’ll mark the third straight year he will have attempted to summit Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds for the waterboys.org initiative that’s part of the Chris Long Foundation.

The trek up Kilimanjaro, a dormant volcano and the highest mountain in Africa at 19,341 feet, is scheduled to take place from Feb. 16 to 26. Long and Nate Boyer, a former Green Beret who played briefly for Seattle Seahawks, will lead a group of wounded veterans and current and former NFL players.

The goals of Conquering Kili are twofold — to provide a way for those involved to continue their commitment to service while raising money to build wells and provide clean water in Tanzania.

“It’s an exciting deal,” Long said. “It’s a great way to get our vets involved in the fight for clean water. They know how to serve folks who are less fortunate better than anybody. I mean, they spend so much time in the Third World, improving the world.

“We kind of follow their lead, and by the end of the trip, we’ve learned a lot from those guys and girls.”

If all goes well, this year’s trip will provide funds to build two wells, bringing the total to six in the last three years.

The trip to Africa will provide an unofficial culmination to what has been an exhilarating, invigorating and challenging past 12 months for Long, whose father, Howie, is a former Milford (Mass.) High standout and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee.

Chris Long spent his first eight seasons performing with distinction for most of his stay in St. Louis. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for the rest of the Rams as the team failed to qualify for the playoffs.

So, when the perennially powerful Patriots came calling with a one-year, $2-million deal in March 2016, Long quickly accepted. Despite playing out of position on the inside and right edge, he was solid and didn’t miss a game while helping the Patriots win Super Bowl LI.

The time in New England reinvigorated Long, who was born in Southern California and raised in Charlottesville, Va., before going on to have an All-American career at the University of Virginia and being drafted second overall in 2008.

“It made me hungry to reprove myself,” Long said. “It showed me what winning was like. In a lot of ways, it got me going again. It’s never too late to win; it took me awhile, but I’m really lucky to be on two [Super Bowl] teams consecutively.”

The 32-year-old Long and the Patriots cordially parted ways after last season. Long sought to join a team that would utilize his skill set in a more familiar way — as an aggressive pass-rusher off the left edge.

That team turned out to be the Eagles, who signed him to a two-year, $4.5-millon contract. Long led the team with 51 pressures and four forced fumbles and added five sacks in 16 games before batting down two passes in the postseason, as the Eagles reached the Super Bowl for the first time in 13 seasons.

“I’ve said this a hundred times, but I’m so thankful to have learned from Coach [Bill] Belichick for a year,” Long said. “He’s a great dude and I called him at the beginning of free agency and said, ‘Hey, I don’t even know if I have a spot next year.’

“You know how all that played out, but I was looking to get into a scheme that’s more agreeable to my skill set, especially at this age. He was totally understanding and I respect him anyway, but I respect him for that just as much.”

While Long got paid this season, he didn’t make any money on a weekly basis. In the wake of the Charlottesville protests in August, he initially pledged to donate his first six game checks to fund scholarships in his hometown. He later decided to donate his remaining 10 game checks, bringing the total to $1 million, with the additional money used to help make education more accessible for needy youths.

“I’ve played a lot of years and made a lot of money,” said Long, who received the 2018 Bryon “Whizzer” White Community MVP Award from the NFL Players Association on Thursday.

“I’m not the first person to donate a million dollars to a cause. I just think I have a big platform, and the cool thing about my platform is the fans have met me halfway and basically doubled my investment in the cause.”

And 10 days after commiserating or celebrating the outcome of Super Bowl LII, Long will find himself on a plane to Tanzania to invest in another charitable cause.

Saturday

By Rich GarvenThe Worcester Telegram & Gazette

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Whether he’s celebrating or commiserating after Super Bowl LII on Sunday, Chris Long will soon find himself moving on and turning his attention elsewhere.

The 10th-year defensive end, who joined the Philadelphia Eagles this season after playing for the Patriots in 2016, is headed to Tanzania not long after the game. It’ll mark the third straight year he will have attempted to summit Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds for the waterboys.org initiative that’s part of the Chris Long Foundation.

The trek up Kilimanjaro, a dormant volcano and the highest mountain in Africa at 19,341 feet, is scheduled to take place from Feb. 16 to 26. Long and Nate Boyer, a former Green Beret who played briefly for Seattle Seahawks, will lead a group of wounded veterans and current and former NFL players.

The goals of Conquering Kili are twofold — to provide a way for those involved to continue their commitment to service while raising money to build wells and provide clean water in Tanzania.

“It’s an exciting deal,” Long said. “It’s a great way to get our vets involved in the fight for clean water. They know how to serve folks who are less fortunate better than anybody. I mean, they spend so much time in the Third World, improving the world.

“We kind of follow their lead, and by the end of the trip, we’ve learned a lot from those guys and girls.”

If all goes well, this year’s trip will provide funds to build two wells, bringing the total to six in the last three years.

The trip to Africa will provide an unofficial culmination to what has been an exhilarating, invigorating and challenging past 12 months for Long, whose father, Howie, is a former Milford (Mass.) High standout and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee.

Chris Long spent his first eight seasons performing with distinction for most of his stay in St. Louis. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for the rest of the Rams as the team failed to qualify for the playoffs.

So, when the perennially powerful Patriots came calling with a one-year, $2-million deal in March 2016, Long quickly accepted. Despite playing out of position on the inside and right edge, he was solid and didn’t miss a game while helping the Patriots win Super Bowl LI.

The time in New England reinvigorated Long, who was born in Southern California and raised in Charlottesville, Va., before going on to have an All-American career at the University of Virginia and being drafted second overall in 2008.

“It made me hungry to reprove myself,” Long said. “It showed me what winning was like. In a lot of ways, it got me going again. It’s never too late to win; it took me awhile, but I’m really lucky to be on two [Super Bowl] teams consecutively.”

The 32-year-old Long and the Patriots cordially parted ways after last season. Long sought to join a team that would utilize his skill set in a more familiar way — as an aggressive pass-rusher off the left edge.

That team turned out to be the Eagles, who signed him to a two-year, $4.5-millon contract. Long led the team with 51 pressures and four forced fumbles and added five sacks in 16 games before batting down two passes in the postseason, as the Eagles reached the Super Bowl for the first time in 13 seasons.

“I’ve said this a hundred times, but I’m so thankful to have learned from Coach [Bill] Belichick for a year,” Long said. “He’s a great dude and I called him at the beginning of free agency and said, ‘Hey, I don’t even know if I have a spot next year.’

“You know how all that played out, but I was looking to get into a scheme that’s more agreeable to my skill set, especially at this age. He was totally understanding and I respect him anyway, but I respect him for that just as much.”

While Long got paid this season, he didn’t make any money on a weekly basis. In the wake of the Charlottesville protests in August, he initially pledged to donate his first six game checks to fund scholarships in his hometown. He later decided to donate his remaining 10 game checks, bringing the total to $1 million, with the additional money used to help make education more accessible for needy youths.

“I’ve played a lot of years and made a lot of money,” said Long, who received the 2018 Bryon “Whizzer” White Community MVP Award from the NFL Players Association on Thursday.

“I’m not the first person to donate a million dollars to a cause. I just think I have a big platform, and the cool thing about my platform is the fans have met me halfway and basically doubled my investment in the cause.”

And 10 days after commiserating or celebrating the outcome of Super Bowl LII, Long will find himself on a plane to Tanzania to invest in another charitable cause.

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