Jared Green to Present Dad at Hall of Fame
Jared Green knows that his dad, Darrell, is a local legend. He's been idolized, worshiped and loved by everyone in the DC area. If Northern Virginia ever had its own folk hero or icon, then Darrell Green would be it.
"He was really just a great role model for the kids and especially for the area because so many athletes are getting into a lot of trouble, which isn't exactly what mom and dad want you to grow up to be. But he's one of the few people that are proud to watch and proud to talk to, proud to interview when it comes to media, and proud to say they want to be like him," said Green.
Yet for Jared, his dad's legendary status has its own personal meaning to him. Not only is he his father, but he's his main source of inspiration.
"When you have a father of that stature, you really want to set yourself apart and do something," said Green. "Everywhere you go it's, 'Darrell Green, Darrell Green, Darrell Green,' so he inspires me, my mother, my sister, my family, our peers. It's really inspiring, it's not just sit back and admire and watch him."
A former Oakton standout and current wide receiver for the Virginia Cavaliers, Jared made sure to use every bit of that inspiration to get where he is today.
"It really boosted me up because I really wanted to be something great," said Green.
Now, however, he gets to repay his dad on a worldwide stage this Saturday when he will be presenting his dad into the Hall of Fame.
"It's an honor, and it's bigger than me," said Green. "It's a tremendous opportunity to just show appreciation to him."
Of course, just seeing his dad get selected into the Hall of Fame was just as big an accomplishment, which is something Green said he'll never take lightly.
"I definitely don't take it for granted," stated Green. "Not every father plays football, but mine played professionally for 20 years. It's a tremendous opportunity to just show appreciation to him."
While presenting his dad into the Hall of Fame is something of extraordinary magnitude, Green tells us there was a bit of uncertainty with his dad for a while in the months leading up to the selection process.
"He was very nervous when he was in Arizona at the Super Bowl when he was trying to find out if he was inducted or not," said Green. "When they called his name, it was just amazing. Ever since then, he's been really excited, and there's more jokes, more you know, funny things going on talking about the Hall of Fame."
When asked to give a little preview of what he might say when at the podium, Green didn't say too much, but did tell us what we can expect.
"It won't just be about football, but the man... which I think is the most important thing because it's really bigger than the sport," said Green.
It's a speech, too, that is done entirely by Green. He didn't ask for any outside help with the writing of the speech because he's in favor of a more pure version that comes straight from his own heart and no one else's.
"I definitely couldn't get everybody's insight because it's just such a big event and so many people had so many different ideas," said Green. "I wanted to just let it come from my heart and not let it be commercial but pure father and son appreciation."
Of course, not only will Green's speech be televised worldwide on the NFL Network, but he'll be speaking in front of over 30,000 dedicated fans in a sold out Fawcett Stadium in Canton, Ohio. Needless to say, Green is a bit nervous.
"I saw this little magazine that had the Hall of Fame in it, and I looked at one of the pictures of the crowd, and it looked like a whole sea of people! Like, 60,000 or something like that!" said Green. "I was like 'oh man,' and now I got some butterflies. But I'll try and stay strong and it'll be fun."
Also being inducted into the Hall with Darrell will be former Redskin Art Monk, San Francisco's Fred Dean, Kansas City's Emmitt Thomas, New England's Andre Tippett and Denver's Gary Zimmerman.
Make sure to tune into the NFL Network at 6 PM on Saturday to watch Green present his dad at the Hall of Fame ceremonies. This will mark for the first time that a Northern Virginia player has spoken at the Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony.
