The NFLPA is under fire again. And this time, the criticism isn’t coming from owners or fans. As training camp looms in late July 2025, players face mounting pressure to address the union’s latest controversy. Reports swirl about private equity ties and leadership missteps, but the public conversation has been oddly quiet. Fans obsess over offseason workouts and fantasy drafts, while the clock ticks on issues that could reshape the league’s future. Enter a former Super Bowl winner who’s never been afraid to speak up. On his podcast, he didn’t just hint at problems; he dropped a hammer on the NFLPA’s inaction. 

With camps opening soon and the season’s glare about to drown out everything else, his words might be the last wake-up call players get. Chris Long’s voice turned razor-sharp on Green Light this week. The former Eagles QB, never one for soft takes, tore into the NFLPA’s growing crisis—a firestorm over private equity ties and leadership trust.

“And in this case, it’s harder to get people to want to side with the laborers because they have seven figures on their check,” he said, practically spitting the words. “So it’s really hard to feel sorry for people making millions. I get that. But doesn’t Ty go to the millionaire, not the billionaire? And isn’t this about a workforce, right?” He is spot on.

The mess started months ago. Whispers about NFLPA execs cutting shady deals while players fought for better benefits. Then leaked documents – private equity partnerships that smelled like betrayal. Long didn’t just call it out. He exposed the union’s fatal flaw: “We have, again, the weakest union. If you’re a football player, you sit out for a year, the average career is three years, and I don’t know that anything will happen.” No metaphors. No jargon. Just a Super Bowl champ screaming into the void before training camp silences everything.

Long’s rant wasn’t just about calling out problems; it was a starter pistol. With training camps set to open in days, not weeks, his real message cut deeper: This might be players’ last chance to demand change before the season drowns out their voices.

Chris Long demands NFLPA accountability

Chris Long’s voice carried a different kind of intensity on Green Light this week. Not the fiery rant some expected, but the measured urgency of someone who knows how NFL seasons bury important conversations. “And it’s got to happen in a hurry,” he said, the July 25th training camp deadline looming. “As of July 25th, teams are going to report to camp… So the time to cover it is now.” The ‘it’ he referenced? A growing storm around NFLPA leadership’s alleged private equity ties – a controversy that had simmered for months before boiling over.

Bills edge rusher Von Miller had tweeted cryptically last week: “When leadership focuses more on relationships than results, players notice“. NFL Network’s Andrew Siciliano reported that at least three team captains had requested emergency union meetings. Long cut through the noise with surgical precision. “Get Lloyd up out of there, dude, and JC up out of there for everything that we found out,” Chris said, naming names where others hedged. “And then get a guy in that has the player’s best interests at heart.” The demand wasn’t just about accountability; it was about timing.

His next words laid bare the NFL’s unique power imbalance: “We have, again, the weakest union… If you’re a football player, you sit out for a year, the average career is three years, and I don’t know that anything will happen.” The stats back him up – the average NFL career lasts just 3.3 years (NFLPA data), leaving little room for labor standoffs.

What made Long’s intervention different? Perspective. A two-time Super Bowl champ who walked away at 33, he understood the clock ticking louder for active players. As equipment trucks rolled toward camp facilities this week, his warning hung heavy: fix this now, or risk another season where football drowns out the fight.