Darrell Green is back with the Washington football team where he spent his whole NFL career, receiving an honor that feels long overdue.
The Commanders retired the Hall of Fame cornerback’s No. 28 during halftime of their game against Carolina on Sunday, 22 years after his last season. This happens in the second full season under new ownership, which aims to rebuild connections with former players that were damaged or missing during Dan Snyder’s era.
“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, which the Commanders won 40-7. “There was no beef.
I just was going my own way when I walked out my door. … I was really grateful that this team went through all of that. This means the world to me.”
In a speech to fans, Green thanked owners Josh Harris, Mitch Rales, Magic Johnson, Mark Ein, and David Blitzer—many of whom grew up in the area and were fans of his.
Even though life after football has taken him elsewhere, the now-64-year-old expressed 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 key player on Washington’s second and third Super Bowl-winning teams during his two decades with the team from 1983 to 2002. Already part of the franchise’s ring of fame, he is the fifth player to have his number retired, following Sonny Jurgensen’s No. 9, Bobby Mitchell’s No. 49, Sammy Baugh’s No. 33, and Sean Taylor’s No. 21.
Washington has changed its name more times than it has won a playoff game since Green retired.
However, the Commanders’ strong 5-2 start led by quarterback Jayden Daniels has brought hope back to fans who have waited a long time, including a younger generation that Green said “did not get to drink the good wine” of seeing a winning team.
“I’m sorry,” he told the crowd on Legends Plaza about 90 minutes before the game. “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 evaluated further on Monday.
