Looking back at Jeremy Green

The passing of former Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals head coach Dennis Green on Friday due to a heart attack at the age of 67, brings to mind the fact that his son, Jeremy Green, worked in personnel for the Browns more than a decade ago.

Jeremy, who looks a lot like his father, was with the Browns for five seasons, 2000-04. For the first three years, he held the title of coordinator, pro personnel, and he was then promoted to director of pro personnel for the last two seasons.

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He seemed to have it all going in the right direction – both personally and professionally – during that time. Indeed, the future seemed bright. The sky seemed to be the limit.

He was in his early 30s and, while his father’s name certainly helped him land jobs in the NFL (he got his start as an area scout with the San Francisco 49ers for two years immediately before coming to the Browns), it was his aptitude that kept him employed. Along with that, he was bright, articulate and had a good sense of humor.

His life off the field was even better. He and his wife, Shari, had two lovely young children and resided in a nice home in the Cleveland suburb of Broadview Heights.

In addition, in 2004, Green was inducted into the Kaleidoscope Magazine Forty/Forty Club, which recognized 40 African-Americans ago 40 and under who were making significant contributions in the Cleveland area and within their particular organizations.

Head coach Butch Davis resigned late in the 2004 season, and most of his coaches and personnel people, including Green, were let go as well after the year ended.

Green’s football acumen, plus his ability to speak well, eventually landed him a job at ESPN as NFL analyst. He was on his way in the media world.

But he was summarily fired in July 2010 after he was arrested on child pornography charges while staying at a hotel in Bristol, Conn., the home of ESPN. He ended up pleading guilty to a charge of possession of child pornography.

His dream life had turned into a nightmare.

As such, all the aforementioned good stuff about Green has already been forgotten.

Green turned 46 years old on Thursday, the day before his father’s death.

Dennis Green, who was born in 1949 on Jim Brown’s 13th birthday, Feb. 17, did a nice job with the Vikings, guiding what had been a long-suffering franchise into the playoffs in eight of his first nine seasons, including making two trips to the NFC Championship Game. But you never hear him referred to as a great coach. Instead, Green’s legacy has become the famous rant he had following a 2006 loss to the Chicago Bears while he was head coach of the Cardinals: “They are who we thought they were!”

How many people uttered that line, either in their heads or out loud, when they learned of Green’s death?

Sadly, he is a punch line.

And his son is viewed with scorn.

Looking back at Jeremy Green, it seemed it would all be so different – so much better and brighter – for both of them.

More Cleveland Browns news

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• Under Further Review (Browns Daily Dose)
• “Browns’ chances of making 2020 playoffs increase with NFL owners approving expansion from 12 to 14 teams” (cleveland.com)
• “How expanded playoffs would’ve changed things in NFL, including for 2007 Browns” (BrownsZone) 
• Jim Donovan and Doug Dieken – Simply the best (Browns Daily Dose)
• “JC Tretter stresses unity in letter to NFLPA members” (PFT

Looking back at Jeremy Green was written by Steve King