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Kevin Greene slays Hall of Fame speech with great Bo Jackson line
The Pro Football Hall of Fame speeches got off to a bit of a slow start Saturday night. That is, until Kevin Greene took the stage.
First off, any guy who takes the stage and strokes the bust of his leonine mane is off to a strong start.
Then Greene started talking — it’s clear that this man was no one-trick pony, as he was often accused of being. Yes, he had 160 sacks and was a great pass rusher. But the man also possesses the gift of gab.
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After thanking Dom Capers, his presenter who was his coach twice in his playing days and his colleague as a Green Bay Packers, and his military father, T.R. Greene, for instilling a work ethic in him and then tracing his roots, Greene got to his Auburn days. And that’s when one of his best lines came out.
Greene said of his former teammate there, Heisman Trophy winner Vincent “Bo” Jackson, “I’ll be honest: Bo, he ran my ass over,” Greene said. “I’ve got a piece of it. He ran a lot of asses over.”
That was just one of many great one-liners:
• On Los Angeles Rams teammate Jackie Slater: “This dude carried a bible in one hand and a switchblade in the other.”
• On Rams coach Jon Robinson: “He saw something in me. I don’t know, maybe he saw a little crazy.”
• On chasing Eric Dickerson in practice: “He ran around me too. I was thinking maybe football wasn’t for me. This is a tough damned deal!”
• On Pittsburgh Steelers teammate Rod Woodson: “He’d say, ‘Get your slow ass to the outside quicker!’ I was like, ‘What, dude? I am trying to play the run!”
• On Carolina Panthers teammate Lamar Lathon: “He’s on the other side of me on that 3-4 defense and he’s freaking out.”
• On Panthers teammate Sam Mills: “He’s out there at 5-9 and 218 pounds soaking wet and he’s just stoning people.”
• On San Francisco 49ers teammates Steve Young and Jerry Rice: “The football gods had to be laughing at this one. I had been beaten so many times by Steve Young and Jerry Rice, and now they were my teammates and I got to say hi to them in the locker room! No, hell no, I don’t.”
But it was also a very heartfelt speech.
“I didn’t play this game for any other reason than love and passion,” Greene said.
He also thanked his wife, Tara, of 24 years, and his two kids. “I clearly out-punted my coverage on her,” he said. Then Greene thanked those serving their country, “laying it on the line for all of us,” including his father, which drew cheers and salutes all throughout the stadium in Canton, Ohio.
We expected Brett Favre to sling the one-liners on Saturday night. But Greene delivered a few great haymakers too.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!
