Former Eagles lineman and Super Bowl champion Chris Long spent Wednesday in Center City, at an event with the Men's Warehouse on Chestnut Street. Long hasn't shied away from discussing NFL topics du jour since his retirement, including Carson Wentz's crushing head injury against the Seahawks.
Long defended Wentz from hot takes online during Sunday's game, and on Wednesday he came armed with more thoughts about Carson Wentz's injury in conversation with NBC Sports Philadelphia's Marc Farzetta:
I just think it was kind of a cheap shot, and a shortcut, for media members trying to make hay,” Long said. “Down-talking a dude who just got drilled in the back of the head, with only the ground to stop the force, by a 280-pound man. Some of them played, and I think the guys that played should be ashamed of themselves. Because - you talk about a guy's battle back from injury, he's carried the team the last month of the season, and to bring up a pattern of injury? Sure, Carson has an injury history, but that concussion has nothing to do with any pattern.
It's hard to argue with Long here. Former players like Torry Holt and Brandon Stokely ran wild with Wentz's injury Sunday night, drawing connections that didn't exist. Stokely, whose career ended amidst a rash of injuries which included a concussion, attempting to call Wentz's durability into question over a random hit seemed particularly misplaced.
It doesn't seem, however, like the hit - which the NFL's former VP of officiating called 'a cheap shot', like Long - will cost Jadeveon Clowney, who made contact with Wentz's head on the play. The league said it was going to evaluate the play for a potential fine, but Clowney said Thursday afternoon he hadn't heard from the league about any potential punishment.
The Seahawks play the Packers on Sunday. We'll see if Long has more takes during the game. Eagles fans certainly will.
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