Jake Long retired from the NFL after the 2016 season. Eight years later, he is almost unrecognizable from his playing days due to a surprising weight loss.
Long was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame on Thursday for his accomplishments at the University of Michigan. In his five seasons, Long was a two-time Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year and a two-time All-American. After his college career, he was the No. 1 overall pick 2008 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins and played nine professional seasons.
As a professional, Long weighed 315 pounds. But the man who showed up at the induction ceremony at Detroit’s MotorCity Casino Hotel was more than 70 pounds lighter, according to tTony Paul of Detroit Newswho posted a photo of a noticeably slimmer Long on social media.
Holy Moly, UM football legend Jake Long, member of the @MSHOF The class of 2024 lost a lot of weight. Over 70 books in the last two years. The secret, he says: Peloton and therapy. pic.twitter.com/6AbruWHJyL
-Tony Paul | Detroit News (@TonyPaul1984) October 17, 2024
Long’s secret to losing more than a quarter of his body weight from his NFL days is “platooning and therapy,” according to Paul.
Perhaps Long has a sponsorship deal with Peloton in his future after praising the popular exercise bike. How many cardio machines could he sell and still lose over 70 pounds?
However, the therapeutic part is the most serious – and compelling – aspect of Long’s body transformation. After years of trying to maintain weight By NFL offensive lineman standards, it was probably difficult to get the weight and physique down to a more conventional, healthier weight and physique.
Long’s weight has remained consistent throughout his NFL career. he dropped to 308 pounds after the 2015 season. But before his junior season at Michigan, he lost 22 pounds to improve his agility, conditioning and speed. It obviously paid off for Long, who had two All-Big Ten and All-American seasons from there and later joined the NFL.
Add Long to a list of former NFL juggernauts who lost weight has so-called normal size after their playing careers, including Howie Long, Michael Strahan, Russell Okung, Joe Thomas, Mike Golic, Jeff Saturday, Alan Faneca and Brad Culpepper.
Has Netflix considered making a documentary series about these guys and their stories?
