Miami's 'Brotherhood' Runs Far Past GreenTree, Even if It's Where It Started

"Those times on Green Tree are harder than some games."

Each player who has suited up for the Miami Hurricanes has stories about the dreaded Green Tree. It's where real men are made, and for decades it has produced some of the best NFL talent around the country.

It took some time to rebuild that reputation after years in purgatory for Miami, but years of building under head coach Mario Cristobal have changed that.

Moreover, it has given others more life from the past, experiencing it and understanding what it is meant to be. It is a brotherhood being built, one that former Hurricane great D.J. Williams is proud to be a part of.

"So, you know, just throughout my career, I've been a part of some amazing teams. I've been around and surrounded by such great individuals and, you know, I just felt like that there were stories and moments that, you know, the fans may not know about that need to be brought to life and shared to life," Williams said.

"And, you know, the University of Miami is a very, very unique brotherhood.  Our practice field is called Green Tree, and ironically, there are no trees on it. It's probably one of the hottest, most miserable places in South Florida, but again, when you talk about iron sharpening iron, basically that all happened on Green Tree."

Williams has entered the sports media space to highlight some of those moments from Green Tree with teammates from the past,like Jonathan Vilma, while also reinstating the brotherhood that was built for decades to come.

Only a few understand the pain that comes with being a Miami Hurricane; Williams is one of the few who did. It was a physical brand of football that was imprinted on them and the culture, and even with the wars out there, being together was all that mattered.

Even if it would spill over into the locker room, it never changed how they felt about each other. They knew they could trust each other with anything.

"You know, I played football all my life," Williams said. "You know, I played in the NFL for two teams, the Broncos and the Chicago Bears, you know, I went to De La Salle High School, which was one of the top teams in the country, but somehow at the University of Miami, the way we competed, it was a very, very unique way, a unique style.

"It was like right on the border, right?  We told the line between love and each other and hating each other. And it was like I said, it was very unique because we can go out there on green tree and we can smash each other's heads. But somehow, when we got back into the locker room, it was all left out on the ceiling."

"But now, listen, there were a handful of times where things kind of deep carry over into the locker room, and we hammer that, right? Like, in our locker room, we had these old vinyl couches. We had a about a 15 foot U. And whenever there was issues that left the field, it need to happen in the lock room, the guide was circled up inside the U. Wrestle, tussle him out, get that energy out, but at the end of the day, there was never any animosity and we were always brothers at the end."

That brotherhood carries on today with Cristobal at the helm. It is a standard that has returned and one that will be set for eons to come.

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