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Darrell Green may be best known as a legendary defensive back with a 20-year career at the Washington Redskins who has won two Super Bowl Championships and been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But equally important to Green is his work off the field: mentoring students across the country to instill ethical thinking that allows them to positively handle complex social situations such as bullying and peer pressure.
Green leads Strong Youth Strong Communities (SYSC), a nationwide initiative that equips young people with life skills, resources and leadership-focused engagement to unlock potential, promote sound judgment and connect them with adult thought leaders. As a mentor, Green taps into his own difficult life experiences – having a brother who died of a drug overdose, being a child of divorce, fathering a child out of wedlock, confronting the vices associated with fame – in order to relate to the youth he meets.
“I believe it is extremely important for me to show my own vulnerabilities to these kids,” Green said. “As the fifth child in my family, I had the advantage of being able to see what my mom, my dad and my four older siblings went through. That made me want to better myself. I would have internal dialogues around the vices that were being presented to me, asking myself, ‘Will I smoke? Will I do drugs and drink?’ I decided that I would rather have a successful career than face the repercussions of stealing, smoking and drinking.”
Green decided to pursue a career in mentoring the next generation after retiring from pro football in 2002. He explained, “As a pro athlete, you find yourself as a built-in hero for many children. The more visible and celebrated I became, the more responsibility I felt for managing my celebrity well and using it for something beyond myself. I started the day as a sports inspiration but want to end the day as a role model.”
In 2015, Green partnered with Centene, a leading national healthcare provider, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame to launch the Strong Youth Strong Communities (SYSC) program. SYSC is locally driven, collaborating with leaders and stakeholders in schools, local government, and other social support systems to facilitate success among youth and strengthen their communities. SYSC events are offered free of charge.
A group of football players from TC Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia attended a recent SYSC Summit in Baltimore. At their school, the passion for football runs high, as do the challenges faced by at-risk students from low-income communities. During the Summit, Green provided lessons about character, leadership, work ethic and how to achieve success “on the field of life.” Later, Tracey Walker from the Northern Virginia Urban League, who helped coordinate the event, said the teenagers had engaged in an hour-long conversation during the ride home about their personal constitutions and what kind of men they were deciding to be. Green considers this to be the sign of a successful event.
The greatest challenge Green faces in his role as a mentor is being able to create a safe space where young people can feel free to open up and share what's going on in their lives. “We discuss some weighty topics, including how to deal with negative thoughts, hopelessness, fear, insecurity, self-esteem and suicide. It can be hard to break through emotional walls, so it becomes really important that the attendees feel they can openly discuss their hardships with no repercussions.”
So, how does Green break through emotional walls of children who may not be willing to open up about their struggles? “I wish we had a magic wand,” he said, “but we just emphasize transparency, humility and 50 gallons of love! It may not be instantaneous, but experience has shown that the more I am willing to share my own personal struggles, the more the youth are willing to open up to me.”
Green believes there is nothing more important for youth than to find their purpose in life. “As a professional football player, I was always grateful for how much people admired me for how well I did my job every day on the field. However, I was more appreciative of the fact that my career afforded me the opportunity to interact with others. This is what led me to discover two equally important things: my purpose and my passion. With a passion to interact with other people every day of my life and a purpose to add value to their lives in a way that will help them build a strong foundation for the future, I couldn't be happier with the choice I have made to pursue a post-football career in inspiring young people to be their best.”
“The youth we mentor through SYSC are the future,” Green said. “I believe that inspiring our youth through knowledge, encouragement and inspiration impacts them and their communities in a positive way.”
