Hall of Famer Darrell Green will have his “No. 28” retired during a halftime ceremony on Sunday as the Commanders take on the Carolina Panthers.
He will also get the key to the city from Mayor Muriel Bowser on Saturday.
The two-time Super Bowl Champion defined the cornerback and punt returner positions during his 20-year career as the fastest man in the NFL and one of best shutdown defensive backs ever.
But ahead of this weekend’s celebrations in his honor, Green stopped by the Glass Enclosed Nerve Center to talk with WTOP anchor Kyle Cooper and Sports Director George Wallace.
Listen to the full interview below or read the transcript. The transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.
Kyle Cooper: Welcome to WTOP. It’s a great honor to meet you. Thanks for being here. I think I speak for all Washington fans when we say this is a long overdue honor for you. How do you feel about this happening this weekend?
Darrell Green: I feel very good, very humbled by this, and I appreciate all of the tons of people who have said what you just said. I probably don’t even feel that way, and that’s probably why I’m getting the recognition, because I just never functioned that way. I didn’t anticipate this, expect it, what have you, but I’m totally humbled and greatly appreciative of both the team in leading the charge in doing this, and of course, Mayor Muriel Bowser for an extraordinary honor. But for all of the people, as you said, personal, I thought I was hearing you personal, that the part that really gets to me. Because everybody would like to be affirmed, you know, and appreciated. And I mean goodness, this is at the highest level of appreciation between the organization in the city and the community. So, dude, I’m just humbled by this very, very special.
George Wallace: You talk about the difference now in the organization, you have made it very clear you are back. You are all in. The way they surprised you to tell you that you’re going to get your number retired, had everybody involved, your whole family involved, and everybody in the building, former teammates, and so on and so forth. I mean, that just had to just take it to another level.
Darrell Green: The shame was I really was an outsider from the organization, and so my wife and kids who were on that committee, and the people that were dealing with that, they knew, like, ‘Man, I don’t know how we gonna get him.’ ‘That’s just not his life.’ Not that I was mad or whatever, but I have my own life. I had a meeting that morning. I’m telling my wife, ‘Hey, you know what? I’m not gonna be to make that deal. I got something to go to.’ It didn’t go over very good, but she didn’t let the cat off the bat out the bag. And I was, wow, I was so so surprised, and so so grateful for that.
George Wallace: How great is it, what Dan Quinn, John Harris and Adam Peters have done to make you guys feel like you’re back part of the organization? From you and your former teammates and the Joe Gibbs era. I mean, it has to just be a brand new day, right?
Darrell Green: And it’s sincere. I was at the they have a facility out in College Park, and I was there, and all of these, maybe hundreds, whatever of staff. And it’s genuine. It’s genuine. And I told them, I said, ‘I’ve never seen this before.’ I’ve been around other players and their owners and their GMs and their coaches. We never had it in this era. We never had it. So it’s just very, very heartwarming yesterday with them.
Kyle Cooper: Darrell, I know you’re a man of faith and a man of true honor a lot of people appreciate that about you. But can I ask you, what is your favorite highlight of your career? Don’t be humble in this moment. What was the one where you go, ‘Oh my gosh, I was amazing’?
Darrell Green: A play that is that impactful, we were in Chicago. We were on the road and if you follow the game, the Niners lost to Minnesota. So we gain home field if we beat Chicago, because typically we couldn’t beat the Niners at the Niners, that’s just the truth. So we would beat Chicago, and then we’d be going to the 49ers, so that jump was the winning factor. And you know, a lot of time get to hit that walk off home run. And then, of course, the next week, where making the play at the end of that game to put us in the Super Bowl, and then I was the Maytag Man. I didn’t really have a lot in the Super Bowl. I don’t really, I don’t, I just went ahead and done that for you. I really don’t have, because really a great highlight of my career is the whole 20 seasons. Because the thing that you don’t know that I really appreciate is just that one on one coverage where they didn’t throw the ball and nobody said anything, and I had him shut down. That to me, that’s when I was really doing my thing. Not that highlight play, but that play, that ‘Man, they didn’t throw any balls toward Darrell’, yeah, because I was working the whole game to make sure when that quarterback look ‘Oh no.’ So that was the greatest.
George Wallace: You’ve had some time to think about it. On Sunday afternoon, when you’re out there and they’re going to put your number up there. Sonny Jurgensen, Sean Taylor’s 21, Sammy Baugh is 33, 49 and now 28. Have you had a chance to think about what that moment’s going to be like?
Darrell Green: Oh my gosh, you’re not going to get an answer for that, because I, I still don’t have an answer. I mean, you feel exactly what you just was saying. I can see it in your face as you were saying those one hand-amount of people, that’s it, that that so. I’m still, I’m still trying to figure that out, because that’s crazy. I mean, all of the years. How many years are we now? The team is over 100 from Boston. And I’m the only, I don’t know if you call this modern day, but I didn’t play with any of those guys that played. I knew Bobby. Of course, I knew Sonny. But no, I’m the first guy from a 40 year era. It’s big man. I mean, I’m totally humbled by this. And you talking about, don’t be modest, but man, it is, it is. It takes you there, unless you are just some butthead. You know, I’m not that guy, not that guy. I’m more grateful. I’m truly grateful
Kyle Cooper: You are to us, the great 28 we appreciate you.
Darrell Green: Appreciate that.
Kyle Cooper: Darrell Green, thanks so much for your time today.
Darrell Green: WTOP, I’m here. Yes, indeed,
George Wallace: Come back anytime
Darrell Green: I will.
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