Though the thought never occurred to him during his 20 Hall of Fame seasons playing for the team, Darrell Green fully supports the Redskins name change, saying the decision comes from a place of love at a time when human beings are learning to treat each other better.
"Celebratory. Grateful. Happy," Green described his reaction to the news of the forthcoming name change during an interview with 106.7 The Fan's Grant Paulsen and Pete Medhurst on Tuesday. "I think Mr. Snyder made the right choice. I think he puts us in position to move forward. I think he puts us in position to begin a process."
"Human beings are the most awesome of all of God's creations, so they should have first place," Green said. "As you all know, they don't have first place. There are many things that people pick ahead of human beings — that's why you have wars and that's why you have poor people, that's why you have a lot of issues across the world.
"But I think that these type of decisions is a step that brings us back to a place where we can say, 'You know what? Human beings are the most important element in all of human existence.' It makes me celebrate for that very purpose, that we're saying, 'You know what? These people matter to me.'"
"Red, yellow, black and white — they are precious in God's sight," he said. "And so, we're coming back. We were created in God's image and we're gonna start treating each other like God, who our father, who's in Heaven, who created us, we're gonna make our daddy happy by treating each other with love."
Green went on to say he looked up the definition of the word 'nostalgia,' which he defined as "a sentimental longing or a wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or a place with happy personal associations."
"That's what it means," he said. "And so, I'm not concerned about having affection for a past – some person, or place or thing – I'm more concerned about having a present where we're loving one another and caring for one another, and treating people with respect, no matter what their skin color and who they are.
"That's a world that I want my grand babies to live in, and so this decision is bigger than Darrell Green, and my jerseys and all of that stuff, and 'remember that play!' and 'remember that play!' So no, I'm pretty fired up about it and I'm grateful, and I think this man has done one of his greatest things since he's owned this team. This puts him at another level, in my opinion."
Green went on to describe present-day America as being at a point in which people are choosing to listen to each other, saying that the uncomfortable truths they may learn about others' plights as a result should be viewed as a sign of progress, rather than penalizing one group for not coming to these realizations sooner.
"There's an enlightening taking place," Green said. "Eyes are being opened, ears are being opened, where people are seeing truth, seeing these atrocities. White people are starting to not have to feel condemned to say, hey, this is what's up. Talking to their fellow African-American friends, and what happened to you, and saying, 'Man, I didn't realize that.'
"And they shouldn't be penalized for not realizing, but now you know, and then you respond."
That same perspective is what's allowed him to see the importance of changing the name.
"A long story short, yes, I wasn't really heavy on that as a youngster," Green said. "Even as I knew about what those people would tell me about how the team (had a racist past). They even said that the old song used to be 'fight for old Dixie,' that's what I heard. I can't validate that, but I heard, they would even say that.
"So there's a lot of stuff here, but this decision can help us move past any and all of that stuff and get us to a new place, where we're saying the people, the care and concern for people, is more important than the nostalgia, and the history, and the excitement of what we did in this childhood game."
"There's gonna be some people who will just say they're just not buying it," he went on to say. "Look, some people have gotten buried in my jersey. Some people got moments and memories where their momma, their daddy, their grandfather – 'My grandfather was in the hospital when you all played this game and this and that ' – and they're crying... and they may show up with their jersey on."
"Look, it's a difference to show up to a Redskins autograph session back in the day, you're wearing a Cowboys jersey, where you're really trying to say 'up our butts,' versus saying, 'Hey man, I'm wearing this because of just my heart, man, for my dad,'" he continued. "'I'm not trying to belittle or hurt anybody, I'm just trying to show up today.'
"So I think there's a conversation that people can have, but we come to a place of civility, we come to a place of love and respect that now we can move forward. But the team as a whole, it's their responsibility to do what they have done."
"We're trying to get to a place of love and respect," Green said. "And people can call that corny, but don't you think we need that? Don't you think the world could use just a little cup of love right now? A little cup of consideration?"
Green was asked what he'll do with his Redskins memorabilia, and what he would say to those fans who say "the memory of watching you grab your ribcage, or chase down Tony Dorsett, that they were with their dad or their grandpa, and it's changed forever if the Redskins are gone."
"Well, you're saying a few things," Green responded. "Number one, when I jumped over the guy in Chicago, I jumped over the guy in Chicago and I was playing for the team in Washington, and we won the game, so they don't have to worry about that. That's not gonna go anywhere. It's only now kept in video and it's kept in our memories. So that's just that."
"In terms of what I'm gonna do," he said, "I'm free. I'm free in my heart to let go of everything I have. I haven't made any kind of decision on where and how or what I'm gonna do, but ultimately I think that it would be a part of the process would be to move on.
"I want the new helmet. I want a new 28. I want a new jersey. I want a new helmet. I want a new picture. I want everything to be new. I'm ready to go to the new place, a new place where, when you see it, it's gonna represent that, you know what, these people care about people. When you wear that jersey, you're gonna say, 'Hey, these people care about people.'"
Green compared the situation to wearing a mask in public during the COVID-19 pandemic, using the mask to illustrate care for other people.
"When I walk in front of you with my mask," Green began, "I say, 'Hey, how you doing? I love you. I'm just trying to protect you.' And guess what? When you wear yours, you'd say, 'Hey, how you doing? I love you and I'm trying to protect you and your family, too.' And so, when we do these things, it's gonna say something.
"When we wear the new jersey, we wear the new shirt, the new hat, it's gonna say something. Before they win one game, it's going to say, 'Hey, you know what? I love you guys. I love mankind. I love my fellow citizens. I love Native Americans. I love African-Americans. I love white Americans. I love people, and I care about you.' That's what it's gonna say."
