The Bears officially announced offensive lineman Kyle Long as the winner of their 2017 Ed Block Courage Award. The honor, voted on by teammates, is given annually to a player who best displays professionalism, strength and dedication while also serving as a community role model.
Long is in his fifth season with the Bears and has been to the Pro Bowl three times. He returned to action in Week 3 last month after missing the final seven games of last season and the first two of this year with a serious ankle injury. Long suffered the injury in a November loss to the Buccaneers last season and needed reconstructive surgery to repair torn ligaments and damaged tendons in his ankle.
Long will formally be honored at a luncheon in April at Maryville Academy in Des Plaines.
Bears coach John Fox praised Long on Friday for his ongoing resilience and drive.
“He’s extremely tough,” Fox said. “He’s been through a lot in his life. … I’ve been impressed just watching his growth since I’ve been here. He has matured as a teammate, matured as a team member, matured as a player as far as (handling) a lot of details. Obviously he had a lot of God-given ability but to channel that and to watch him grow (has been impressive).
“It was a setback for sure with him getting hurt last year in Tampa. It was a pretty serious injury and it takes a special guy to weather that and do all the things necessary (to get back). Not that all the pain’s gone. But he’s healthy again and I’ve liked the way he’s played when he’s been healthy this season.”
dwiederer@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @danwiederer
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