It’s no secret that the man is a fiery personality but really? A Kyle Long ejection from Bears practice? Yep, it happened. Details of the situation are a bit fuzzy at this point. That’s not a surprise. The team was in a closed practice so it’s difficult to get any read on what started things. All that is known to this point is two scuffles broke out during drills and Long was involved with both of them according to multiple sources.
Long was removed from the Bears’ final practice at Olivet Nazarene on Monday for multiple fights with teammates. The second incident forced coach John Fox and general manager Ryan Pace to send Long off to the locker room.
“There’s a certain standard that we have, something we weren’t really pleased with,” Fox said of the decision to send Long off.
This is standard procedure with most training camps. It’s not the first time it’s happened under Fox. A similar scuffle resulted in multiple ejections last year when the Bears were joint-practicing with the New England Patriots. Bill Belichick has a long-standing policy of kicking players off the field when fights break out.
Fight that caused Kyle Long ejection was heated
As stated earlier it’s not clear what caused the scuffle to break out in the first place. All that is known to this point is something happened and it escalated fast. Almost to the point where it got pretty ugly.
Last time I can recall fight at #Bears camp escalating way it sounds it did w/ Kyle today is Marty-Fuller in ’14, when practice ended early.
— Arthur Arkush (@ArthurArkush) August 14, 2017
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Now of course it’s unclear whether Long started the fights or not. However, being a core member of the roster he’s expected to hold a higher standard. Getting into multiple fights with your own teammates reflects poorly. Yes football is a violent game but that’s not an excuse to start actual brawls over disagreements. The saying goes, “Get your revenge on the next play.”
Some are chalking up the explosion to frustrations boiling over for Long. It can be understood. He missed half of 2016 with a nasty ankle injury. Since then he’s worked so hard to get back and admitted he’s chomping at the bit to play. The Bears though have been careful with his progress. They want him 100% for the opener.
For a competitor like Long, that’s hard to swallow. So when it’s hot and the intensity ratchets up during practice, sometimes the temper flares.
