LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Darrell Green is back around the Washington football organization he played his entire NFL career for, receiving an honor that seems long overdue.
The Commanders retired the Hall of Fame cornerback's No. 28 at halftime of their game against Carolina on Sunday, 22 years since his final season. It comes in the second full season under new ownership, which has sought to rebuild relationships with alumni that either frayed or failed to exist during Dan Snyder's time in charge.
“I truthfully did not have a relationship with the team, but it was no big deal until they surprised me that they would retire my jersey," Green said before the game, a 40-7 Commanders victory. "There was no beef. I just was going my own way when I walk out my door. ... I was really grateful that this team went through all of that. This means the world to me.”
Green in a speech to fans thanked owners Josh Harris, Mitch Rales, Magic Johnson, Mark Ein and David Blitzer — many of whom grew up in the area an were fans of his. Although life after football has taken him away, the now-64-year-old reaffirmed his love for the community he was part of for so long.
“This is my family," he said. "These are my people. This is our team, our organization.”
Green was a cornerstone of Washington's second and third Super Bowl-winning teams as part of his two decades in burgundy and gold from 1983-2002. Already a member of the franchise's ring of fame, he is the fifth player to have his number retired after Sonny Jurgensen’s No. 9, Bobby Mitchell’s No. 49, Sammy Baugh’s No. 33 and Sean Taylor’s No. 21.
Washington has changed names more times than it has won a playoff game since Green retired. But the Commanders' 5-2 start led by quarterback Jayden Daniels has brought optimism back among long-suffering fans, including a generation that Green said “did not get to drink the good wine” of watching a winning team.
“I’m sorry,” he told the crowd on Legends Plaza roughly 90 minutes before kickoff. “But I want to challenge all of you to become those die-hards that ride with us as we are coming back.”
Daniels left the game early in the second quarter with a rib injury and will be evalauted futher Monday.
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