The Washington Commanders announced Thursday that they will retire the jersey of Washington legend Darrell Green, widely considered to be one of the greatest cornerbacks to ever play the game.
The ceremony will take place at some point during the upcoming season, team officials said. The exact game and date for Green’s jersey retirement will be announced following the NFL schedule release.
“I am beyond grateful for this honor and to new ownership, who embraced my wife and me from day one,” Green said. “I played my whole career here, met my wife here, served my church and community here, and I am humbled to have my jersey retired here. The team means everything to this community, and I am encouraged not only for us to win a Super Bowl, but to win the community back.”
A first-round pick in the 1983 NFL Draft (28th overall), Green played a record 20 seasons for the Washington franchise, during which he totaled a club record 54 interceptions. He holds the league record for most consecutive seasons with an interception (19), according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Green was nicknamed “The Ageless Wonder” for continuing to play at a high level until the very end of his career. In his last game against the Dallas Cowboys, Green, who was a little over a month shy of his 43rd birthday, returned a punt for 35 yards, the longest gain of any type for a player that age.
Known for his speed, Green is a four-time winner of the NFL’s Fastest Man Competition. He was named an Associated Press All-Pro three times and was voted into seven Pro Bowls.
Green was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008. He played in two of Washington’s Super Bowl victories (XXII and XXVI) and started in Super Bowl XVII against the Los Angeles Raiders.
“For 20 years Darrell Green gave everything he had to this organization and fanbase,” said Commanders managing partner Josh Harris. “Even after retiring from the burgundy and gold, he remained committed to giving back to his community, which to this day holds him in the highest regard. No one on our team will ever again wear No. 28. Thank you, Darrell, for embodying what it means to be a Washington football player, both on and off the field.”
Green will make the Commanders’ second-round pick in the NFL Draft in Detroit on Friday. He will also greet fans from the stage at the team’s draft party at National Harbor on Saturday.
Green joins Sonny Jurgensen, Bobby Mitchell, Sammy Baugh, and Sean Taylor as the only Washington players to have their jerseys retired.
Source: Washington Informer
