In a year that NFL stars declined Pro Bowl invites in record numbers, Bears lineman Kyle Long says you would be “an idiot” not to play in the annual All-Star game.
Speaking to USA Today, Long said the event is “truly a gem.”
“I’m of the thought process that this league gives us so much and so many opportunities,” Long said. “If they give you the opportunity to go to Hawaii, they fly you out there and put you up in a room. You get to play with, hang out with and pick the brains of some of the best guys in football. I think you’d be an idiot, unless you’re injured, not to go.”
According to ESPN, the 133 invites sent out by the NFL this year were by far the the most in the long history of the game. A total of 86 players were originally invited, and 47 players declined their invite before the final rosters were set.
The Patriots had seven players selected for this year’s Pro Bowl, but all seven players said no.
Long, not part of the original 86, has now played in the game each of his three seasons in the NFL.
He was Chicago’s only representative this year.
“I really enjoy the camaraderie and sense of fraternity of being in the NFL,” Long said. “It’s what I saw groing up with my dad. It’s a great sense of community.”
