Howie Long: KC incident 'sent shockwaves through the entire league'

Howie Long has been part of the NFL for over three decades as a Hall of Fame defensive end, broadcaster and father of a current NFL player.

While Long has seen plenty since his debut with the Oakland Raiders in 1981, he was truly taken aback by the events that folded in Kansas City over the weekend.

"Sometimes when you watch television and see things in a faraway place whether it's Lebanon or some fill in the blank country, you feel somewhat detached from it," Long told USA TODAY Sports. "The NFL community is a fraternity and when something like that happens it sends shockwaves through the entire league."

Long received word of the tragedy early Saturday morning as he was preparing for the next day's "FOX NFL Sunday" broadcast.

"I can't imagine anything like that," Long said. "I had a linemate – I don't want to say his name- he took his life in a similar fashion and you always wonder."

That former teammate passed away several years after his playing career, and while Long imagines that it must have been tough for the Chiefs to take the field Sunday, he worries that the time off of it will be tougher.

"The game always served to be a distraction for a period of time. My thoughts at the end of the day yesterday were 'Wow, what a remarkable game from a team that has been through so much in a period of time,'" he said. "I can't even imagine the psychological impact that had on them. The game ended and they won and that was an escape for the city and the team. But once the game ended, my thoughts immediately went back to 'the game's over now and reality sets back in and where do you go as a teammate or a coach.' I'm sure the team will go a really good job of putting mechanisms in place for players and coaches and people in the organization to take time speaking with professionals. I hope they take advantage of it."