Kyle Long finally came clean with Stephen A. Smith.
Long, the former Bears offensive lineman, recently apologized to Smith for an alcohol-fueled awkward interaction in the mid-2010s that centered on Jay Cutler and still eats at him to this day.
“One of my biggest regrets in life involves Stephen A. Smith, and it’s something that I think about often,” Long said last week on brother Chris Long’s “Green Light with Chris Long” podcast. “It’s one of those things where you’ll be laying in bed, and you’re reminded of something you did that was embarrassing.
“And you’re like, ‘F–k, is this a bad dream?’”
Long, the son of Hall of Famer Howie Long, recalled how Smith once had critical words to say about Long’s then-Bears teammate Jay Cutler that did not sit well with him.
The lightning-rod quarterback and Long played together from 2013-16, and Young added three more years in Chicago before calling in quits after the 2019 season.
Long later encountered Smith at an ESPN party at the Super Bowl and stood up for his teammate.
The former first-round pick admitted to being “hammered” at the time.
“He got me going one year because of the things he said about Cutler. I was like, ‘I have to white knight for my quarterback,’” Long said. “I was like 12 beers deep at the ESPN party, and I saw him and I walked up and put my paw on his shoulder — he was mid-conversation with somebody and I walked up … I was like, ‘Hey, Jay Cutler says hello,’ or something; something smart. I thought I was so slick in the moment.
“And he gave me that look like, ‘You are a f–king idiot.”
Long, who said Smith is “tremendous at his job,” had hoped he could finally have the chance to cross paths with the ESPN personality again but seemingly has not.
He thus settled for a podcast apology.
“Since that day, I’ve been like, ‘Yo, I hope I get an opportunity,’” Long said.
“Stephen A., I’m sorry.”
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