Back in January 21 of this year, while driving his Ford Mustang at excessive speeds near downtown Nashville, Long crashed into a rock wall on a freeway on-ramp.

Long almost died in the crash and nearly died again a few days later at Vanderbilt University Medical Center when his heart began to fill up with blood.

Now, after being discharged from the Stallworth Rehabilitation Center, Long remains in a first-floor motel room, his temporary home, recovering from a punctured lung, eight broken ribs, a “filleted” pelvis, a severed urethra, and a fractured C-6 vertebra.

The accident resulted in “six or seven” operations in total, Long said he lost count. He hasn’t, however, lost count of his capabilities at playing Guitar Hero.

“I was unbelievable before the accident,” he said. “I was lights out. But the concussion has affected my Guitar Hero playing capability. I’ve taken a couple steps backwards. I have to reclaim my throne.”

Long rates himself as “excellent” at the video game before the crash, and while he continues to focus on taking back his Guitar Hero crown, the return to the field is what he most looks forward to.