Green’s jersey retirement game and date will be announced after the NFL releases its schedule in early May.
“Darrell Green has given his all to this organization and our fan base for 20 years,” team owner Josh Harris said in a release from the team. “Even after retiring from Burgundy and Gold, he remained committed to serving this community, and to this day this community holds him in the highest esteem. I will never carry that burden again.”
Nicknamed the “Ageless Wonder,” Green was a true shutdown corner despite his size (5-foot-8, 170 pounds). His speed alone was on a different level (he reportedly ran the 40-yard dash in 4.09 seconds in training camp), but his combination of rare talent and hard work off the field made him the NFL’s most coveted player, Walter Payton. -Won the Man of the Year award. In 1996.
“I was very conscious of how it would help the team if I was successful,” Green told the Post in a recent Zoom interview. “…I was taking it so seriously that I was getting the job done. So, to be rewarded, you just have to say, ‘Hey, I did it right.’ ”
Drafted in the first round in 1983 by Division II program now Texas A&M-Kingsville, Green set numerous records and is widely considered one of the best cornerbacks in the game during his two decades in Washington. It was recognized. He contributed to two of the franchise’s three Super Bowl championships (22nd and 26th), and has career-highs in interceptions (54), games started (258), and games played (295). ), set a team record for the longest pick-six (six), and longest pick-six. Fumble return (78 yards). He also set numerous NFL records, including the most consecutive seasons with interceptions (19). He was named All-Pro four times and was selected to the Pro Bowl seven times before retiring in 2003.
In conjunction with Green’s wife and son, the commanders surprised Green earlier this month by announcing plans to retire the uniform. Green was filming a video for this year’s draft prospects, and just as the recording was about to end, he was asked to read his final item from a teleprompter.
“I read all this stuff and I knew they were honoring me with this, but it was one of those things. I dropped the mic and I was just crying.” Green said. “It was the most thrilling surprise of my life.”
I’m really surprised it didn’t happen sooner.
For decades, Washington’s NFL team had only one retired jersey (Bo). It wasn’t until 2020 that Mitchell was brought in, with Taylor and Jurgensen staying on for the next season.
Since July, when Josh Harris’ group bought the team, the managerial owner has begun rebuilding relationships with former players, many of whom chose to leave during Daniel Snyder’s ownership.
When the sale was approved last summer, Green was the first person Harris called.
Green said he spoke with Harris and limited partners Mitchell Lares and Magic Johnson and was especially impressed and moved by their recognition of his work off the field.
“They were talking to me from friend to friend,” Green said. “They tried to touch me, and that’s what struck me the most.”
Furthermore, he added: [my jersey being retired]. He never dreamed of it, never asked for it. I didn’t think it would be weird if I didn’t do it. But they did it, and it was pretty underwhelming. ”
Last October, Green attended a Washington home game for the first time in 20 years, returning to where he ended his career in 2002.
“It’s been an amazing journey, but I couldn’t be here without you all,” he told fans during a pregame ceremony before his final game against the Dallas Cowboys.
This week, he offered another message to fans in anticipation of the jersey retirement ceremony and the inauguration of a new regime in Washington.
“I say this to all my fans: ‘Hey, even those who left for negative reasons. That’s what I want you to come back with. Come back with me. … I don’t care about the name. I’m not worried about yesterday. We’re all back now.”
