Ex-Redskins at LU today

Take a look at any NFL stadium on a Sunday afternoon, and you’ll see advertisements for players’ charitable organizations.
In Tampa, Fla., it’s “Brooks Bunch,” run by linebacker Derrick Brooks. In Glendale, Ariz., signs for Anquan Boldin’s “Q81 Foundation,” among others, ring the field at University of Phoenix Stadium.
Those players are still active, so their organizations are visible. For retired players like former Redskin greats Art Monk and Darrell Green, any opportunity to advertise their respective charities is a welcome one.
Monk and Green, both of whom will be enshrined in the NFL Hall of Fame in August, organized a charity tour called Route281, a combination of the two players’ numbers from their Washington heydays. (Monk wore 81, Green 28.)
The tour begins this afternoon at Liberty University’s Williams Stadium. Along with an autograph session, there will be a skills competition for children.
For Monk, starting the Route281 tour was a no-brainer.
All proceeds from the tour go to the Hilaron Foundation, which combines Monk’s and Green’s charities.
Monk’s Good Samaritan Foundation and Green’s Youth Life Foundation both train and educate at-risk youth in Washington and other inner cities across America.
Tickets to today’s event at Liberty are $15 for adults, $10 for children 12 and under.
“It’s just a way of celebrating this with other people,” he said. “We’re Hall of Famers and this community, especially, has supported Darrell and I for so many years that we want to share this with as many people as we can, and get out there and be with them, talk to them, do activities with them.”
Green, a cornerback who played all 20 years of his career in Washington, intercepted at least one pass in 19 straight seasons. Monk, who was a Redskin from 1980-93 before finishing his making stops in New York and Philadelphia, accumulated 12,721 yards and 68 touchdowns during his 16-year career.
The two men formed an immediate bond with each other and the community. Their families are close, their charities interconnected.
“The honor in itself is great,” Monk said. “But knowing you’re going in with someone you have a longstanding friendship with, it’s special. We battled together on the field. We’ve battled together off the field in our communities.
“We do a lot of things together as families. His kids call me uncle, my kids call him uncle. It just makes it that much more rewarding. Yes, you have this great honor. The fact that you’re doing it with one of your best buddies, it just adds to it.”
More former Redskins will join the pair during the Route281 tour, including receiver Gary Clark, defensive linemen Dexter Manley and Charles Mann, kicker Mark Mosley and offensive lineman Joe Jacoby.
Since that group retired, the Redskins haven’t made it back to the Super Bowl. Their last Super Bowl victory was a 37-24 win over the Buffalo Bills in Minneapolis in 1992.
“Just like anything else, it’s what have you done for me lately,” Monk said. “We were the generation that won championships. They still have more of a connection with us than they do with the current team. So it’s great to get out there to mingle with people and bring some joy to their lives.”