Tony Gonzalez explores family and football in "Play It Forward"

Tony Gonzalez is considered one of the NFL's most outstanding tight ends. For 17 seasons, he entertained fans, playing for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Atlanta Falcons.

A new documentary on Showtime, "Play It Forward," follows the former Pro Bowler - also an analyst for "NFL Today" on CBS -- on and off the field. The candid story is told through Gonzalez and his older brother by two years, Chris.

On "CBS This Morning" Monday, Gonzalez described having an "extremely close" relationship with his brother Chris, who he said taught him "everything" from throwing a football to sparking his personal interest in football.

But after filming the documentary, the brothers had a tainted relationship, not speaking to each other for over a year for a reason Gonzalez could not quite explain.

"Maybe it was all those years of 'hey, football was our bond' and that was all we talked about, so now what do we talk about?" Gonzalez said. "For whatever reason, we weren't going along."

Growing up, young Tony initially hated football, and it was always his older brother's dream. Despite getting into a serious car accident when he was seven years old, Chris Gonzalez still turned out to be an outstanding player, even earning a Division II scholarship.

But Gonzalez said that his brother had always been a coach for him, getting him "on and off the field" in "the right direction."

"I always tell young guys, surround yourself with somebody that you respect their opinion -- when they talk to you, that you're not doing it the right way, that you listen to them -- and Chris was that guy for me," Gonzalez said. "He was always looking out for me, he sacrificed his life, and I didn't always recognize that...I love everything he's ever done for me."

Gonzalez said he and his brothers are now "on the road to recovery," to restore their close relationship.

"In the film, my stepdad, he talks about 'family is everything, you do whatever you can for it.' And that's what we had to do," Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez said his stepfather made many sacrifices for him and his brothers. Gonzalez shared how he brought a tape recorder with him whenever he visited his stepfather in the hospital.

"I knew that we didn't have too much more time with him and obviously it was a sad time, but at the same time, I wanted to pick his brain and ask him, 'give us advice,' because he was such a wise man," he said.

Gonzalez, a father himself, also opened up about his own children, including his daughter who he joked was the "next Serena Williams" and his son who is an aspiring football player.

"Play It Forward" premieres on Showtime Friday.