Brittany Freeney made certain Dwight’s Hall of Fame moment was special

INDIANAPOLIS – It always will be one of the more indelible moments in the Freeney household.

Brittany to hubby Dwight: Gotcha!

“I don’t keep secrets from Dwight very well,’’ she said. “But this one I was determined to keep.’’

Two weeks ago, the Pro Football Hall of Fame initiated the process of informing Dwight Freeney he had been selected as one of the five modern-era inductees for the Class of 2024.

But that involved not actually informing Dwight Freeney.

In this instance, Brittany Freeney was one of the few brought into the circle of secrecy.

“They told me to plan for some good news, without saying it,’’ she said.

The Hall of Fame has a tradition of staging and memorializing on video the surprise announcement for each individual. It usually takes place at the player’s home and includes family members and close friends.

The collection of this year’s personalized announcements will be broadcast Saturday at 9 p.m. on NFL Network.

Freeney’s segment required an audible. His home in West Palm Beach, Fla., wasn’t available.

“We’re renovating our house,’’ Brittany said, “which made it complicated.’’

Plan B: Golf Grove XXIII, in nearby Hope Sound.

It’s the exclusive golf club owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan, who also happens to be one of Dwight’s best friends and frequent partner/competitor on the links.

“Michael was so excited and receptive to the idea of having the NFL at his place,’’ Brittany said. “It was perfect.

“Dwight always golfs every Monday through Friday with Michael. They have a group of guys that is always together.’’

The subterfuge involved Brittany sneaking to Golf Grove several days to plan the upcoming event, which occurred last week. She worked with Jordan and the Hall of Fame on the various details.

“My wife was giving me this whole story that ‘I’m going to go walking with someone or going to go work out with someone,’’’ Dwight said.

“I had no idea.’’

The final detail was actually getting one of the newest members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame to the right spot at the right time without tipping him off.

That included making certain Dwight was better dressed than normal when he and Jordan would meet on the first tee that day.

“The lie we came up with was Michael was doing a photo shoot at the club and Dwight might be in some background shots,’’ Brittany said. “It’s a very casual club, but I wanted him to be dressed up for the moment.’’

“It’s 85-90 degrees every day,’’ Dwight said. “You just wear whatever you want. For me, that’s my T-shirt and shorts.

“When I was told to dress up for Michael’s photo shoot, I’m like, ‘OK, no problem.’’’

Freeney’s daily routine also involves just going from his car to the course. His caddy had to insist – several times – he was needed inside.

Gotcha!

“He was beyond surprised,’’ Brittany said.

Hall of Fame president Jim Porter and chief communications officer Rich Desrosiers were waiting. So were Brittany; Tony Dungy, Freeney’s coach with the Colts and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2016; NFL Network; Jordan and Golf Grove executive Ken Weyand.

“He was very surprised to see Tony,’’ Brittany said. “He was very surprised Michael was there. Then when he saw me, he was like, ‘What’s going on?’

“He was really shocked that all of this was done by so many people who were close to him. He was beyond surprised. If we had done it any other way, he would have sensed things being out of the norm.

“We pulled it off, which was shocking.’’

The deeper Dwight advanced into the room, the more it became clear this wasn’t a normal day at the golf club.

“I walk in and open the door and coach Dungy is sitting there with a gold jacket and all these cameras,’’ he said. “My wife’s sitting there, laughing. She’s held the secret for a week.

“She’s been planning it all week with Michael when she told me she was out walking or working out.

“It was awesome. I was completely shocked. I had no idea.’’

While the Hall of Fame disrupted Dwight’s routine, it was temporary. After an hour or two of hugs and a lengthy interview with NFL Network’s Steve Wyche, there was a round of golf to deal with.

“I went to the golf course and tried to hit the ball in the fairway,’’ Dwight said with a laugh. “It was one round where I shot a million and didn’t care.’’

As the emotional day ended, a bit of reality returned.

Dwight and Brittany Freeney were back at home, where daughters Olivia, 3, and Alana, nine months, waited.

Neither cared their dad was one of 378 individuals enshrined in Canton.

“The jacket could be gold, brown or black,’’ Dwight said. “It doesn’t matter.

“I get, ‘Daddy, feed me. I’m hungry.’’’