Even if you can’t make it to Northwest Field on Sunday to watch his jersey retirement ceremony, you can still come out to DC and honor Darrell Green this weekend.
Saturday morning at 10 a.m., Mayor Muriel Bowser will be presenting Green a key to the city of Washington, D.C., in a ceremony at Franklin Park on 13th and K Streets NW that will also include Commanders co-owner Mitch Rales, our own Brian Mitchell, and more.
“It’s a family fan event where we will honor Darrell…we’re very proud of his service and career, and he really epitomizes the spirit of Washington,” Mayor Bowser told the Junkies Thursday morning.
Mayor Bowser doesn’t hand out keys to the city liberally – even as the Junks prodded her about THEM getting one – but Green will follow Bryce Harper as the only athletes to get one.
“For Darrell, we look at 20 years with one team, being in the Hall of Fame but also being a Hall of Famer off the field, that’s something we want to celebrate,” the Mayor said. “If you're like me and you grew up with Washington, Darrell Green is the Washington football team, so I think it's a great honor, and a great way for people to come enjoy their city on a great fall day with some free fun.”
And amidst more prodding for a 30th anniversary key, or proclamation, or street name or something – ‘we’ll even take an alley!’ Cakes laughed – perhaps the guys got Mayor Bowser to make a Freudian slip when asking her about her bet with Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott over Commanders-Ravens?
“It was a good game; I went up to Baltimore, it was the first game that I've been to this season, and the excitement there is amazing - and we want to recreate that excitement at RFK as well,” the Mayor said, and when Cakes exclaimed those three letters again, yes, she got excited: “Yes, RFK! It was just a big reminder to me of what a city stadium means to a town, and we have to recreate that. I was pulling up to the stadium, and I could just see people walking from every direction to support their team. It reminded me what it was like for people who would walk from East Capital, walk from D Street, walk from all over, get off the Metro to go support their team at RFK. So that's also a focus that, that we continue to have.”