Career
He played college football for East Carolina University, and thereafter he played professionally for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL.
Long was born in Columbia, South Carolina. Long attended East Carolina University, where he played for the East Carolina Pirates football team from 1980 to 1983. He was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American in 1983.
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Long in the fourth round (111th pick overall) of the 1984 NFL Draft, and he played for the Steelers from 1984 to 1991.
During his eight NFL seasons, he played in 105 games, and started 89 of them. He died in 2005 from drinking antifreeze.
An autopsy revealed that Long may have suffered from CTE caused by his football career. He had previously attempted suicide in 1991, after testing positive for the NFL"s steroid test.
