Darrell Green is the epitome of hard work and being an overachiever.
The self-proclaimed “itty bitty” guy, Green spent 19 glorious seasons with the Redskins, winning two Super Bowls, while becoming a legendary cornerback on some great Washington teams.
Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008, Green is still a fixture in D.C., as the 55-year-old is now a grandfather, an active public speaker and youth mentor.
Green recently put on and promoted a fiscal and physical fitness event called the Prudential 4.01K Race for Retirement, a fun run at RFK Stadium on Nov. 7.
The Hall of Famer sat down with BSO to discuss properly planning for retirement, the state of the Redskins, Robert Griffin III and his favorite NFL cornerbacks playing the game today.
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BSO: Good Morning Darrell, this is my pleasure, please tell our readers a little about the Prudential 4.01K Race for Retirement, and why you’re so focused on informing America about preparing for retirement?
DG: “Well here’s the deal, it’s a huge challenge, and one I’m now familiar with. The reality is that we’re all living longer, yet 1 in 3 people aren’t properly preparing for retirement you know, we’re not saving enough to make it to the finish line.”
So that’s the challenge. The answer is to raise awareness, so we came up with the Prudential race for retirement, getting folks to take a pledge to do something about it.
We want folks to pledge annually to save about 1% more than my annual income. I’m involved because I think I did a pretty good job of being aware of needing to save and set money aside. So we got 12,000 people to take the challenge and run at RFK Stadium.
BSO: With so many athletes and entertainers struggling financially, did you reach out to any of the local pro athletes to help with the cause?
And How do you get everyone across the board to buy into the focus of saving money for retirement?
DG: I’m not focusing on athletes, I just happen to be an ex-athlete. The focus is on the folks that aren’t in the 1%, and that really need to ensure that they have enough savings to get them through the rest of their life. So the majority of people at RFK will be moms and dads. It’s open to everybody and we want everyone to be conscious and save.
BSO: Is it a program that you’d like to take nationally, or will it be an event, exclusive to the D.C. metro area for now?
DG: Hopefully it will catch on around the country because it’s a people issue, and a nationwide issue. So we’d love to have the same impact around the country that we do in the Nations Capital.
Prudential is prepared to lead the whole thing.
BSO: Does RG3 need a change in location, or can he eventually grow into a franchise quarterback in D.C.?
DG Well I’m not around as much as I used to be, so I’m not as tuned in as I would like to be.
I think there’s good optimism for the team, because the coach has what he wants. He wants a conventional quarterback and he got it. His concept is conventional. That works and has won Super Bowls. That’s what he’s experienced and that’s what he has with Colt McCoy and Kirk Cousins. So, I think that with that, from that standpoint, there’s nothing to say they won’t be successful. Because somebody finally has what they want,” Green said.
He’s been successful running the read-option, having a few reads, and we both know that only so many teams in the NFL utilize those concepts — the running option quarterback, so I believe there’s a disconnect there. So as an outsider looking in, I think there are only a handful of coaches in the NFL fit to utilize him. I believe he needs a change, and will be successful once that happens.
BSO: Speaking of cornerbacks, do you have a favorite, or two that you like to watch right now?
DG: I like Josh Norman of the Panthers, Revis of course. You know I like guys who lock up man-to-man, the Tampa 2 defense doesn’t make you a great cornerback.
BSO: Can the Redskins win In spite of the owner?
DG: They can get there. It doesn’t look like it today but the owner is no fool, he’s not rich by accident. He built a business to be able to do it at a young age. He’s pulled in a general manager and coach who are smart people. They are up against a lot. These kids are coming from communities who have a lot to deal with. It takes times to establish the right people on the bus and then putting them in the right seats, and then making sure the bus driver is the right driver. Joe Gibbs had the luxury that he got to oversee young people like myself who came from a different moral ground. … These kids for the large part are coming from a single-parent home … This generation is a lot more selfish.
BSO: Final question, you’re a Hall of Famer, does Terrell Owens get in, and if so, is he a first ballot guy?
DG: I mean I don’t know his numbers off-hand, but based on strictly production, of course. I mean he’s up there among the greats, am I right.
BSO: Yes I believe he is top five or six in most receiving categories.
DG: Okay I think he gets in then, I’m just not sure if the antics and personality prevent him from being first ballot.