During his 11-year career in the NFL, Chris Long was not only one of the better edge rushers in the league, but one of the most outspoken.
The 2018 Walter Payton Man of the Year is fully vaccinated, but he knows that all players won’t be doing the same.
Appearing on the SI Media Podcast, the former defensive end said that leadership requires “convincing” people of what to do rather than “telling” them what to do.
“Maybe someone who doesn’t have the information,” Long told Jimmy Traina on the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast. “And trust me, I can take a swing at it. As a leader, I think a lot of what you have to do is not tell people what to do, it’s to convince them what to do. It’s to sell something to them. Being a leader is being a salesman.
“And some people might be like ‘Well, no, you just gotta tell people what to do.’ Well, I’ve been there in the NFL and I just know that these are a bunch of grown men. And the convictions that I have – whether they’re well informed or not well informed – are not any stronger than the convictions of other guys.”
As it relates to Cole Beasley, Long said he would debate him on the issue of vaccines rather than tell him what to do.
Long said that he might also tell Beasley to “stop whining” about the vaccine instead.
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“If you just said ‘I’m not getting vaccinated’ and then you don’t go on that big diatribe, that’s my point,” Long said. “Like, people are going to be on your ass. Like, don’t be making some crazy s–t up and don’t make yourself into a martyr.”
“And so, I think if you’re on the plane and there’s an anti-vaxxer dude … If I’m sitting next to Cole Beasley, I’ll debate him. Or I’ll tell him to stop whining about it. If you’re not gonna get a shot … when you take a bold stance … just shut the **** up and be bold, dude.”
Long says that if you’re part of the group that won’t get vaccinated, you can’t complain about how the league may make your life more difficult in 2021.
“As a leader, and I hadn’t thought about this, I think my job is to sell people on the reasons that maybe you should get vaccinated. And also, yeah, the restrictions in the NFL. Like, I cannot believe people are like ‘I’m doing this bold thing, this revolutionary thing and I’m not getting vaccinated.’ And then they want to complain. Like, I get it, it’s a mother and the NFL is basically nudging you to do something, but they’re also a private business and they can kinda do what they want bro.
“So that’s kinda where we are. And if you have an issue with it, get a shot and then you don’t have to grab and go in the cafeteria, dude.”
