[Redskins]

For those wondering how Green acts off the field…….

I’ve met him twice. The first time he was at the Redskins Store in Fair Oaks mall the year after he retired. Many people came to see him and he didn’t sign a single autograph because he was there mainly to publicize the store, not to sign anything. People became very agitated and he eventually left with people following him through the mall as he repeatedly refused to sign anything. As far as I know, he did not sign a single thing.

The second time I met him was in the lobby of my office earlier this year. He had a meeting to discuss his charity with the owner. I walked right up to him and flatly said, “thanks very much for everything you did for the Redskins and for all your efforts on the field over the years”. His reply (and I’m not even close to kidding), “where’s the bathroom”. With that, he turned and walked around the corner with nothing more to say.

I guess everyone can make their own opinion of him, but honestly, I didn’t find him remotely personable. I say this as a fan and someone who doesn’t know what it’s like to constantly get hounded for autographs and pictures. I’m sure some days he just wants to be anonymous, but that’s just not the path he took. He can’t just turn it on and off and I regret that the person I built him up to be wasn’t the person he really was. With that, I’ll appreciate him on the field, but he won’t be receiving any Christmas cards from me.