Recently retired Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Chris Long, who was praised for his dealings with the media, has been selected as the 2019 Good Guy Award winner by the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA).
Long, the 15th Good Guy Award winner, is the award’s first repeat honoree.
Other nominees for the Good Guy Award were Chicago Bears cornerback Prince Amukamara, New England Patriots safety Devin McCourty, Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, San Francisco 49ers tackle Joe Staley and former Baltimore Ravens, now Los Angeles Rams, safety Eric Weddle.
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The Good Guy Award is given to an NFL player for his qualities and professional style in helping pro football writers do their jobs. The award has been presented annually by the PFWA since 2005.
Long was commended by local and national media alike for his willingness to provide thoughtful, in-depth answers on a variety of topics ranging from football to social justice to a host of other issues surrounding the league, both on and off the field.
“”We appreciated Chris’ thoughtfulness and accessibility during his final year in the NFL,” said Zach Berman, the president of the Philadelphia chapter of the PFWA who covers the Eagles for the Philadelphia Inquirer. “Just as in his first season with the Eagles, he was honest and available in both good and bad times, and he knew how to inject perspective and humor when necessary. Whether he was asked about the Eagles defense, teammates and opponents, his own philanthropy, or the shrine he built for Nick Foles, his locker became a destination for notebooks, cameras, and recorders.”
In 2018, Long finished the regular season ranked third on the defense in sacks (6.5) and fourth in combined pressures and hits (37). He had two sacks of Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson, including a key fourth-quarter strip sack in the Eagles’ Week 16 victory over the Texans. He also had a two-sack game at Jacksonville on October 28. Off the field, Long was named the 2018 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, one of the league’s most-prestigious individual honors, for his outstanding community service activities off the field as well as excellence on the field.
Long announced his retirement via Twitter on May 18 to close his 11-season career.
ABOUT THE PFWA: In its 56th season in 2019, the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA) is the official voice of pro football writers, promoting and fighting for access to NFL personnel to best serve the public. The PFWA is made up of accredited writers who cover the NFL and the 32 teams daily. Bob Glauber, the national football columnist for Newsday, is the organization’s president for the 2018-20 seasons. The Athletic’s Lindsay Jones is the PFWA’s first vice-president, Bleacher Report national columnist Dan Pompei is the PFWA’s second vice-president and ESPN.com’s Mike Sando is the PFWA secretary-treasurer. At-large members include ESPN.com’s Jeff Legwold, ProFootballtalk.com’s Charean Williams, Sports Illustrated’s Jenny Vrentas and USA Today’s Mike Jones. Follow the PFWA at ProFootballWriters.org and on Twitter at @PFWAwriters.
GOOD GUY AWARD WINNERS (To a NFL player for his qualities and professional style in helping the pro football writers do their job) Year indicates when award was presented for previous season: 2005 – Jerome Bettis (Pittsburgh Steelers); 2006 – Tiki Barber (New York Giants); 2007 – LaDainian Tomlinson (San Diego Chargers); 2008 – Brett Favre (Green Bay Packers); 2009 – Kurt Warner (Arizona Cardinals); 2010 – Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints); 2011 – Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers); 2012 – Tim Tebow (Denver Broncos); 2013 – Tony Gonzalez (Atlanta Falcons); 2014 – Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks); 2015 – Richard Sherman (Seattle Seahawks); 2016 – Thomas Davis (Carolina Panthers); 2017 – Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona Cardinals); 2018 – Chris Long (Philadelphia Eagles); 2019 – Chris Long (Philadelphia Eagles)