Randy Moss

Early life

Moss was born in Rand, West Virginia. He attended DuPont High School, one of two schools that later consolidated into Riverside High School, where he excelled in football, basketball, baseball, and track. Randy was also on the school's debate team. On the football field, Moss led the DuPont Panthers to back-to-back state championships in 1992 and 1993. He was a star at wide receiver, but also played free safety, returned kickoffs and punts, and was the team's kicker and punter. In 1994, he was honored with the Harrison H. Kennedy Award as the West Virginia Football Player of the Year. Parade magazine named him to their annual All-American high school football team in 1995 and in 2009 named him one of the 50 greatest high school football players of all time. At DuPont, he was a teammate of future Chicago Bears linebacker Bobbie Howard.

In addition to playing football at DuPont, Moss was twice named West Virginia Player of the Year in basketball (in 1994 when he was co-player of the year and in 1995), where he was a teammate of future NBA player Jason Williams. In his senior season of basketball, Moss averaged 30.2 points, 13.7 rebounds, 5.1 steals, 3.8 blocks, and 3.1 assists while shooting 60% from field; he scored a school-record 1,713 career points.

As a sophomore in 1992, at the age of 15, Moss joined the track & field team and was the West Virginia state champion in the 100 and 200 meters with times of 10.94 seconds and 21.95 seconds, respectively. This was the only year he competed on the school's track team, but he would later join the Marshall track team and lower his 200 m time to 21.15 seconds. He also played center field for the baseball team.

College career

Moss's dream was to play for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, but he also considered going to Ohio State, where his half-brother, Eric, had played offensive tackle. Former Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz said "Randy Moss was the best high school football player I've ever seen." Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden said "He was as good as Deion Sanders. Deion's my measuring stick for athletic ability, and this kid was just a bigger Deion."

After originally signing a letter of intent to play college football with Notre Dame in 1995, Moss took part in a racially charged fight at his high school that left one person hospitalized. On March 23, 1995, Moss had backed a friend in a hallway fight against a white student who had allegedly used racist comments towards Randy's friend. Moss was initially charged with a felony for kicking the student, but it was later reduced to a misdemeanor. On August 1, 1995, Moss pleaded guilty to two counts of misdemeanor battery and was sentenced to 30 days behind bars at the South-Central Regional Jail in Charleston, West Virginia. He served 3 days in jail starting that night and would be required to serve the remaining 27 days within the following 18 months, after he completed his freshman year in college. Moss was expelled from DuPont and completed his education at Cabell Alternative School.

Notre Dame subsequently denied his enrollment application, but this did not stop another high-profile college football program from giving him a chance. Notre Dame officials suggested he attend Florida State due to the reputation of its coach, Bobby Bowden, for handling troubled players.

Freshman (1995)

Because of his signed letter of intent at Notre Dame, the NCAA considered him a transfer student to Florida State, so he had to redshirt the 1995 football season.

Redshirt freshman season (1996)

In 1996, while serving his 30-day jail sentence in a work-release program from 1995, Moss tested positive for marijuana, thus violating his probation, and was dismissed from Florida State. He served an additional 60 days in jail for the probation violation.

Ultimately, Moss transferred to Marshall University, about an hour's drive from his home. Because Marshall was then a Division I-AA school, NCAA rules allowed him to transfer there without losing any further eligibility. In 1996, he set the NCAA Division I-AA records for the most games with a touchdown catch in a season (14), most consecutive games with a touchdown catch (13), most touchdown passes caught in a season (28 – tying Jerry Rice's 1984 record), and most receiving yards gained by a freshman in a season (1,709 on 78 catches), a record which still stands. Moss was also the leading kickoff returner in Division I-AA on the season, with 612 total yards and a 34.0-yard average. The 1996 Marshall Thundering Herd went undefeated and won the Division I-AA title, with Moss having four touchdown receptions in the 1996 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game against Montana. It was Marshall's last season before moving to Division I-A.

Moss competed for the Marshall indoor track team shortly after the conclusion of his freshman football campaign. At the 1997 Southern Conference indoor track championships at the ETSU Athletics Center, Moss ran the 200 meters in 21.15 seconds, missing the conference record by only .02 seconds and placing first in the meet. Although Moss had not raced competitively for four years, his time qualified him for the NCAA Championships, but he would not compete at the meet. He also won the 55 meters in a time of 6.32 seconds, scoring 20 points for the Thundering Herd and leading the team to a first place finish in the meet. This was Marshall's first and only indoor Southeastern Conference win as they would move to the Mid-American Conference the next season. Moss would be named freshman of the year and still owns school records in the 55 meters and 200 meters with times of 6.31 and 21.15 as of 2026.

Sophomore season (1997)

In the 1997 season, Marshall's first in Division I-A, Moss and quarterback Chad Pennington were the centerpiece of an explosive offense that led the Thundering Herd to the Mid-American Conference title. Moss caught 26 touchdown passes that season, at the time a Division I-A record, and was a first-team All-American.

The first game of the season was on the road against the West Virginia Mountaineers where Marshall lost 42–31. The second game of the season saw Moss pick up right where he left off in 1996. Facing Army, Moss had five receptions for 186 yards and two touchdowns. Against Army, Moss's first touchdown went for 79 yards and the second touchdown marked a career-long of 90 yards.

A week later, Moss posted his third career 200+ yard receiving game, against Kent State in a 42–17 victory. Two weeks after that was his fourth and final 200+ yard game in college, recording 13 catches for 205 yards and a Marshall single-game record of five touchdown receptions against Ball State.

In the 1997 Ford Motor City Bowl against Ole Miss, Moss added his 26th touchdown of the season on Marshall's first offensive play from scrimmage. He streaked down the right sideline and caught an 80-yard touchdown pass from Pennington to tie the score at 7–7. NCAA rules at the time did not allow for statistics from bowl games to be combined with regular-season stats, so the touchdown did not officially increase his season touchdown record. The two teams traded the lead several times in the fourth quarter before Ole Miss running back Deuce McAllister scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 31 seconds to play, giving them a 34–31 lead. Trying to pull out a last-second win, Pennington connected with Moss on a 40-yard pass on the final play of the game, but he was stripped of the ball as time expired. Moss finished the game with six receptions for 173 yards.

Moss finished his career at Marshall having scored at least one touchdown in all 28 games that he played. He won the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the season's outstanding receiver regardless of position, and was a finalist for the 1997 Heisman Trophy, finishing fourth in the balloting. He was a Consensus All-American and won MAC Offensive Player of the Year. A controversial comment was made by Moss in 1997 at a ceremony at Marshall University where he was commenting in regards to the 1970 plane crash that killed most their football team that the crash "was a tragedy, but it really wasn't nothing big". Moss later claimed that the quotes were taken out of context. Nate Ruffin, a surviving member of the 1970 football team, later met with Randy Moss.

Professional career

1998 NFL draft

Moss skipped his junior and senior seasons at Marshall and entered the NFL Draft. He did not attend the NFL Combine, opting instead for an individual workout at Marshall's pro day. After the pro day was complete, Marshall head coach Bob Pruett informed the media that Moss had run two 40 yard sprints which timed at 4.24 and 4.28 by scouts' hand timers. Moss also posted a vertical leap of 47 inches. Numerous teams had scouts on hand with many noting the work-out was jaw dropping, with one Cowboys scout naming Moss the "most gifted prospect in football history".

During the 1998 NFL draft, Moss, who was projected as a high first-round pick, was taken by the Minnesota Vikings with the 21st overall pick after a number of NFL clubs—even those in need of a WR—were concerned with Moss's well-documented legal problems. Before the draft Moss was quoted as saying teams that passed on him "will regret it once they see what kind of a player I am and what kind of guy I really am." The team most often cited for passing on Moss is the Dallas Cowboys. Moss grew up a Cowboys fan and wanted to play for the Cowboys. The Cowboys wanted Moss, but because of many off-field incidents of their own, team owner and GM Jerry Jones did not feel the team could draft Moss. Moss felt that the Cowboys lied to him because they had told him they would draft him. On draft day, Dallas went so far as to have a scout in Charleston, West Virginia, the same town where Moss and his mother were watching the draft. Dallas star receiver Michael Irvin even called to apologize to Moss, because Irvin's own off-field problems were a main reason Moss was not drafted by Dallas. After the draft, Moss made a point of beating the Cowboys any time he faced them.

After the draft, Moss signed a 4-year, $4.5 million contract that included an additional $4 million in bonuses and incentives. As part of the deal, he received a $2 million signing bonus. Moss originally wore #18 in training camp (a number he would eventually wear for Oakland) but switched to the more conventional #84 before the regular season began.

Minnesota Vikings (first stint)

In 1998, Moss helped the Vikings to become the number 1 rated offense ever at the time, setting the single-season record for scoring (later surpassed by the 2007 New England Patriots, a team that also featured Moss) with 556 points.

The Vikings opened the season with a 31–7 rout against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Moss's first NFL game would also be his first multi-touchdown game as he recorded four receptions for 95 yards and two touchdowns. His first NFL reception came on the third play of the game on an 11-yard pass from Brad Johnson. His first touchdown was a 48-yard reception. He added a 31-yard touchdown reception on the Vikings' first possession of the second quarter to give the Vikings a 21–0 lead.

His first Monday Night Football game came in Week 5 against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. He had five receptions for 190 yards and two touchdowns, including touchdown receptions of 52 yards and 44 yards, and two other receptions of 46 yards and 41 yards. He also had a 75-yard touchdown catch on the Vikings' first possession of the game that was nullified due to an offensive holding penalty.

In Week 12, against the Packers in a second divisional matchup, Moss had eight receptions for 153 receiving yards and a touchdown in the 28–14 victory. He earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his game against Green Bay. In Week 13, against the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day, Moss finished with three catches for 163 yards and three touchdowns all for 50+ yards as the Vikings beat the Cowboys 46–36. Moss was the first rookie to score three touchdowns on Thanksgiving. He also caught a pass for a 2-point conversion and picked up an additional 50 yards on a defensive pass-interference penalty on Dallas. For that Thanksgiving game, Moss earned another NFC Offensive Player of the Week nomination. His last catch in the previous week's game, and his first catch in the following week were also touchdowns, giving him five touchdown receptions on five consecutive catches. (Although the NFL does not keep records for consecutive catches resulting in touchdowns.) In the following week after the Thanksgiving game, this time against the Chicago Bears, Moss had another three-touchdown performance in the 48–22 victory.

The Vikings finished with a 15–1 record and were in position to represent the NFC in Super Bowl XXXIII. Moss had four receptions for 71 receiving yards and a touchdown in the 41–21 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in the Divisional Round. However, the Atlanta Falcons stunned the Vikings by winning the 1998 NFC Championship Game 30–27 in overtime. Moss had six receptions for 75 yards and a touchdown in the loss.

Oakland Raiders

On March 2, 2005, Moss was traded to the Oakland Raiders for linebacker Napoleon Harris and the Raiders' first (7th overall, which Minnesota parlayed into wide receiver Troy Williamson) and seventh-round picks in the 2005 NFL Draft. Adding a player of Moss's caliber generated optimism in Oakland. With fellow starter Jerry Porter wearing number 84, Moss changed his jersey number to 18, which had been his jersey number at Marshall and was initially not allowed for wide receivers when he entered the NFL in 1998, but had been made permissible in 2004 when a rule change allowed receivers to wear number 10–19 in addition to 80s numbers.

In his Raiders debut, Moss had five receptions for 130 yards and a touchdown in the 30–20 loss to the New England Patriots. In the following game, he had five receptions for 127 receiving yards and one touchdown in the 23–17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Raiders' poor play was a theme throughout the season, while Moss suffered nagging injuries which limited his production. He surpassed the 1,000 mark on the final day of the 2005 season with seven receptions for 116 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns against the New York Giants. He finished the year with 1,005 receiving yards on 60 catches as the Raiders went 4–12.

In Week 7 of the 2006 season, Moss had seven receptions for 129 yards and one touchdown in the 22–9 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. Moss recorded 553 yards and three touchdowns on 42 receptions in 2006.

Moss was not happy in Oakland, and on November 14, 2006, when he was honored as a kick returner by having a college football award named after him, he responded to questions about his dropped passes and lackluster effort in several games. Moss said, "Maybe because I'm unhappy and I'm not too much excited about what's going on, so, my concentration and focus level tend to go down sometimes when I'm in a bad mood". Days later, he reiterated his unhappiness with losing games and being a member of the Raiders on his weekly segment with Fox Sports Radio, saying, "I might want to look forward to moving somewhere else next year to have another start and really feel good about going out here and playing football".

New England Patriots

There were rumors leading up to the 2007 NFL draft that the Raiders were eager to part ways with Moss through a trade. First-year Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin went so far as to contact their division rival Denver Broncos to "gauge interest", but the Patriots and Green Bay Packers were the two teams most interested in acquiring Moss. Packers quarterback Brett Favre, who once said, "There is no one in this league who puts fear in people more than Randy Moss," tried to persuade team management to trade for him, but a deal that both sides could agree to did not get done.

During the first day of the NFL Draft, the Patriots and Raiders discussed the trade several times before reaching an agreement. Bill Belichick spoke with Moss for the first time about the possibility of joining the Patriots at 2:30 Sunday morning. Moss boarded a plane and arrived in Boston later that morning on April 29 and was required to pass a team administered physical. Once he was cleared by Patriots officials, the teams completed a trade that sent Randy Moss to New England for a fourth-round selection in the 2007 NFL draft. The Patriots had acquired the draft pick the previous day from the San Francisco 49ers, and the Raiders selected John Bowie.

One of the conditions of the trade was that Randy Moss would have to restructure his contract for salary cap reasons. Just hours before the Moss trade was completed, New England quarterback Tom Brady converted $5.28 million of his 2007 base salary into a signing bonus that was spread out over the remaining portion of his contract so that it could free up cap room. This enabled the Patriots to absorb Moss's incoming contract under the salary cap. Moss had two years remaining on his current deal and was scheduled to earn $9.75 million in 2007 and $11.25 million in 2008. Once the Patriots had Moss on their roster, he quickly agreed to a new one-year contract to replace his old one. The new deal gave him a $500,000 signing bonus, a base salary of $2.5 million, and the ability to earn an additional $1.75 million in incentives.

"I'm still in awe that I'm a part of this organization," Moss said, clearly thrilled to join a team that could contend for the Super Bowl and to work with Coach Belichick. "I think that he's the kind of coach that can motivate me. He has a proven track record."

In the first week of training camp, during an 11-on-11 passing drill, Moss suffered a hamstring injury to his left leg. As a precaution, the injury prevented Moss from participating in any preseason games and he missed much of the rest of camp.

Minnesota Vikings (second stint)

Two days after the Patriots' game against Miami, Moss was traded to the Minnesota Vikings, in exchange for the Vikings' third-round selection (later used to select quarterback Ryan Mallett) in the 2011 NFL draft. The Patriots also sent a 2012 seventh-round selection to the Vikings as part of the trade.

Despite the arrival of Moss, the Vikings continued to struggle, due to starting quarterback Brett Favre's age and injuries. Moss only managed 13 catches and two touchdowns in four games with the Vikings. Vikings' head coach Brad Childress hoped that Moss, as a veteran, would be mature but instead "[Moss] walked in the locker room and vomited on it". On November 1, less than four weeks after being traded to Minnesota, Moss criticized Childress and teammates in a press conference following the Vikings' loss to the Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Just before the press conference, Moss reportedly told team owner Zygi Wilf that Childress was unfit to coach in the NFL and should be fired. The next day in a team meeting, Childress told Vikings players that Moss was going to be waived. Wilf reportedly considered firing Childress and keeping Moss, since Childress did not inform Wilf of the move beforehand, but per contract Childress had the final say on personnel so Moss was officially waived the next day, November 2. The Vikings continued to struggle after Moss was waived, and Childress was eventually fired on November 22.

Tennessee Titans

Moss was claimed off waivers by the Tennessee Titans, the only team to submit a claim, on November 3, 2010. Moss played eight games with the Titans, starting four. He made six catches for 80 yards and no touchdowns.

Moss finished the 2010 season with career lows in receptions (28) and receiving yards (393). The Titans stated that they did not plan to re-sign Moss for the 2011 season, and he became a free agent.

Initial retirement and comeback

On August 1, 2011, Moss's agent, Joel Segal, announced Moss's decision to retire from professional football.

On February 13, 2012, his 35th birthday, Moss announced that he was coming out of retirement and was ready to play again.

San Francisco 49ers

On March 12, 2012, Moss signed a one-year contract with the San Francisco 49ers for undisclosed financial terms after a workout with the team's head coach Jim Harbaugh. On September 9, 2012, Moss caught his 154th touchdown reception, and subsequently passed Terrell Owens for sole possession of second on the all-time receiving touchdown list. After Alex Smith suffered a concussion against the St. Louis Rams in week 10, Colin Kaepernick took over as the team's quarterback, and Moss had at least two receptions in each of the remaining five games of the regular season. He finished the season with 28 catches for 434 yards and three touchdowns. Since the retirement of Terrell Owens at the end of 2010, he had been the NFL's active leader in receiving yards. Moss eventually went on to play in Super Bowl XLVII, where he had two receptions for 41 yards in a 34–31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Career statistics

College

Includes stats from the 1997 Motor City Bowl against Ole Miss

Career highlights

Awards and honors

6× Pro Bowl selection

Pro Bowl MVP (1999)

4× First-team All-Pro selection

6× Player of the Week (4 NFC, 2 AFC)

November 2007 AFC Offensive Player of the Month

1998 Offensive Rookie of the Year (Associated Press and PFWA)

1998 Sporting News Rookie of the Year

1998 PFWA All-Rookie Team

2007 PFWA Comeback Player of the Year

NFL 2000s All-Decade Team

NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team

No. 65 on The Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players

Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor

50 Greatest Vikings

New England Patriots All-2000s Team

New England Patriots All-Dynasty Team

Second-place on the Minnesota Vikings all-time receiving touchdown list with 92.

Tied for third-place with Ben Coates on the New England Patriots all-time receiving touchdown list with 50

Caught his 100th touchdown pass in 2006 against San Francisco, the seventh player to do so

Records

Most touchdown receptions in a season – 23 (2007)

Most touchdown receptions by a rookie in a season – 17 (1998)

Most seasons with 17 or more touchdown receptions – 3 (1998, 2003, 2007)

Most seasons with 16 or more touchdown receptions – 3 (1998, 2003, 2007)

Most seasons with 11 or more touchdown receptions – 8 – tied with Jerry Rice

Most seasons with 10 or more touchdown receptions – 9 – tied with Jerry Rice

Most games in a season with at least two touchdown receptions – 8 (2007)

One of three players to have at least 1,600 receiving yards and 16 receiving touchdowns in a season

Most yards receiving in a Pro Bowl game – 212 (2000)

Most touchdowns scored in first ten games with a new team – 16 (2007)

Most 1,200+ yard receiving seasons to start a career – 6 (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003)

Moss has averaged at least one receiving touchdown per game played in four different seasons: 1998 (17 TDs in 16 games), 2003 (17 in 16), 2004 (13 in 13), and 2007 (23 in 16)

Youngest player in NFL history to record his 100th receiving touchdown (29 years, 235 days)

Youngest player in NFL history to record his 120th receiving touchdown (30 years, 313 days)

Outside football

Charity

Moss has participated in, founded, and financed many charitable endeavors since joining the NFL, particularly aimed at helping children. Many times when talking about his charity work, he has said he just looks forward to "seeing smiles." He has donated clothing and food to needy families, given away free backpacks to Boston area school-children, and hosted autograph signings. He has also bussed children to amusement parks, NBA games, and even NFL games in which he has played.

On June 29, 2005, he hosted the Randy Moss Celebrity Charity Invitational Bass Tournament. The tournament was a one-day event that paired celebrities and corporate sponsors with pro fishermen to raise money for the Smile Network, which is a foundation that provides financial assistance to children with treatable mouth problems, such as cleft palate. The tournaments motto is "fish for a smile."

In 2008, Moss formed the Links for Learning foundation, which was established to help children in his home state of West Virginia, and to build learning centers for the most needy student populations. In June, he and his former high school teammate Jason Williams hosted the foundations first annual charity golf tournament at the Sleepy Hollow Country Club in Hurricane, West Virginia. In 2018, it was announced Moss would be the new spokesman and advocate for American Youth Football.

Randy Moss Motorsports

On April 29, 2008, Moss announced the formation of Randy Moss Motorsports, an auto racing team in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. In July 2008, Moss announced that he had bought a 50 percent share in Morgan-Dollar Motorsports, with the team's No. 46 entry switching to No. 81. The team was reportedly shut down in 2012.

Analyst career

Upon his release from the 49ers, Moss was hired as an analyst for Fox Sports 1's Fox Football Daily show. Moss was hired as an associate head coach and defensive coordinator at Victory Christian Center High School in Charlotte, North Carolina, in June 2014, where his son was attending high school and playing football.

In July 2016, Moss joined ESPN as an analyst, appearing on Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday Night Countdown. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018. In 2019, Moss was named to the National Football League 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.

Personal life

Moss's parents are Maxine Moss and Randy Pratt. Moss has little contact with his father. He has a sister named Lutisia and had a brother Eric, who had a short stint in the NFL as an offensive tackle with the Minnesota Vikings. Randy's high school girlfriend was Elizabeth "Libby" Offutt, with whom he shares five children: sons Thaddeus & Montigo, daughters Sydney, Senali & Sylee, his wife is Lydia Moss, with whom he has daughter Lordes-Randi; he also has daughters Lyric and Lexi from other relationships. Moss is a Christian.

Health

In December 2024, Moss announced that he would be taking an indefinite leave of absence from ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown to address an "internal" and unspecified health issue. He directed his message to men and urged them to get checkups and bloodwork done, without specifying any particular illness. On December 10, sportswriter Larry Fitzgerald Sr. publicly announced that Moss was battling liver cancer. This was refuted by Randy's son Thaddeus. On December 13, Moss revealed that he had undergone a Whipple procedure to address bile duct cancer and that he was now "a cancer survivor". On Thanksgiving, he had a stent inserted into his liver after experiencing discolored urine.

Traffic incident

On September 24, 2002, in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, Moss was driving and was preparing to make an illegal turn. A traffic control officer, noticing what he was about to do, stood in front of his vehicle and ordered him to stop. Eyewitness accounts of the event differ at this point, but Moss did not comply with the officer's order, his vehicle bumped her, and she fell to the ground. Moss was arrested, and a search of his vehicle revealed a joint amounting to less than a gram of marijuana in his ashtray. Initially charged with felony Suspicion of Assault with a Deadly Weapon and a misdemeanor marijuana possession, Moss spent the night in jail and was released the following morning. Moss pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor traffic violation and was ordered to pay a $1,200 fine and perform 40 hours of community service. While the criminal charges were thus disposed of, the civil lawsuit filed by the traffic control officer brought a substantial penalty fine "in the low to mid six figures". Moss claimed that the joint was not his, and that he had let friends use his car prior to the accident.

Marijuana use

In April 1996, Moss smoked a joint just prior to turning himself in to jail. He was scheduled to finish the remainder of his 30-day sentence for misdemeanor battery while in high school. During his first week in jail, Moss was given a drug test that came back positive. He was placed in solitary confinement for a week and had 60 days attached to his 27-day sentence. Coach Bobby Bowden revoked his scholarship and Moss was dismissed from Florida State University for the failed drug test.

Moss tested positive in 2001 for marijuana under the NFL's substance abuse program and was subject to additional random drug screening for two years. A first time violation of the NFL's drug policy can result in up to 10 tests per month. Moss did not fail an NFL drug test again, and was rotated out of the program after two years.

In August 2005, during an interview with Bryant Gumbel, Moss admitted that he has smoked marijuana during his NFL career "every blue moon." When asked whether he still used marijuana currently, Moss replied "I might. I might have fun. And, you know, hopefully ... I won't get into any trouble by the NFL by saying that, you know. I have had fun throughout my years and, you know, predominantly in the offseason." The interview drew criticism from the league office, and his agent tried to spin it that his words were taken out of context. In response, Moss said "That was really me talking in the past tense of way back in the beginning of my career and my childhood – especially in high school and college."

Dating violence allegations

On January 15, 2008, Orlando-based radio station WDBO reported that Moss "had" been hit with a temporary injunction for protection against dating violence. According to the affidavit, Moss committed battery upon Rachelle Washington, causing serious injury, and then refused to allow her to seek medical attention. The affidavit out of Broward County reveals Moss cannot come within 500 feet (150 m) of the victim and cannot use or possess firearms.

The next day, in a locker room press conference, Moss claimed the woman was simply looking for money "over an accident". On March 3, 2008, Washington filed papers with the Broward County Circuit Court clerk's office requesting that the restraining order be dissolved. No criminal charges were filed in the incident.