Green Enjoys HOF Experience

Jared Green introduced his father at Saturday’s Hall of Fame ceremonies.

As a child, Virginia wide receiver Jared Green begged his father, longtime Redskins great Darrell Green, to let him play football. The answer was always no.

“I guess it’s like a father who’s a policeman not wanting his son to be a cop,” Jared Green said. “After what he sees out on the field – he saw a lot over 20 years. He didn’t want his boy to get hurt.

Finally in 9th grade, his father relented and training began full force.

Five years later, Jared, 19, is a redshirt freshman receiver at Virginia. It seems safe to say that whether his father wanted it to happen or not, Green is a chip of the ol’ block.

On the weekend before opening his own 2008 season, Jared presented his father into the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, on Saturday.

“The experience was probably like living a dream,” Green said.

A dream he wasn’t at all surprised by. In his speech, Jared claimed he hadn’t been shocked at all when the announcement came that his father was to be inducted.

“See, when I went to the Super Bowl in Arizona with my family, I knew what was going to pass, because my father has been a Hall of Famer for years now,” Green said in his speech Saturday. Jared thought his father would be inducted for so long in fact that Darrell decided that if the day ever came, Jared would be the one to present him.

When it was announced after the Super Bowl that his father was to be inducted into the HOF, Jared began writing his father’s introductory speech, looking back over his father’s career and his own childhood.

“The speech was kind of just really the life of the Hall of Fame and everything about it,” Green said. “The speech was built by us living.”

In addition to the ceremony itself, one of the biggest highlights of the weekend, Green said was watching his father receive his HOF coat.

“That was an amazing night,” Green said.

Meeting so many amazing Hall of Famers, Green and his father were challenged to keep the spirit alive.

“One thing that they stressed to my dad and others was the fact that the HOF image is not truly found in the young athletes of today whether it be college or the NFL,” Green said. “They were just saying hey we’ve got to keep it alive.”

In Green’s eyes at least, his father embodies everything about the Hall of Fame. His father’s football career aside, Green insists he is inspired by the man.

“You can score touchdowns or intercept the ball but I don’t think that qualifies you as an outstanding role model,” Green said. “And my dad, I think personally, because I’m his son, I think he’s the greatest role model a kid can have.”

“The redshirt was the best for me. It gave me time to learn the game, the plays, and learn the defense and how they change coverages. Also it gave me time to mature and find myself as a wide receiver. I feel like I’ve matured tremendously since I signed the papers to come here.”
~ Virginia’s Jared Green

While the weekend was full of celebration, for Green the celebration is now over as two-a-days loom ahead.

“Walking off the stage, my dad gave me a hug and said you know what you have to do now and that is camp,” Green said. “I couldn’t be more excited than I am right now.”

His redshirt year brought increased maturity and comfort with the program according to the 6’1.5″ receiver.

“The redshirt was the best for me,” Green said. “It gave me time to learn the game, the plays, and learn the defense and how they change coverages. Also it gave me time to mature and find myself as a wide receiver. I feel like I’ve matured tremendously since I signed the papers to come here.”

When Green suits up for practice this season, he will have extra motivation because as he said: “If you’re not motivated by what happened this past weekend then football is not for you.”

Brown Dismissed

The UVa program announced Sunday that defensive back Mike Brown has been officially removed from the team. According to Sunday’s press release, Brown had been a “non-participating” member of the team since March. While no official reason for the dismissal was given, his legal troubles are suspected to have been the issue. Brown has been arrested three times since joining the Cavaliers and has two pending court dates. Brown faces multiple felony charges including grand larceny, possession of stolen goods with intent to sell, altering serial numbers (for which he will be in court Aug. 18) and a separate set of charges from a driving while intoxicated ticket including refusal to take a blood/breath test (for which he will be in court Sept. 19).

After tearing his ACL last summer, Brown was given a medical redshirt while missing all of last season. In both 2005 and 2006, he played in 12 games for the Cavaliers. He tallied 31 tackles in his career at Virginia.

Practice Begins

The Cavaliers officially begin fall practice tonight at 6:30 p.m. This practice is closed to the public. Virginia, however, is hosting three open practices over the next two weeks. Open practices will be held on Saturday, Aug. 9 (8:35 a.m.), Thursday, Aug. 14 (5 p.m.), and Saturday, Aug. 16 (8:35 a.m.).

Meet the Team Day is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 10. Players will be available to meet fans and sign autographs from 3-4:15 p.m. Gates open at 2 p.m. While the open practices are held on the field behind the McCue center, Meet the Team Day is held at Scott Stadium.

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