Randy Moss famously said that he only plays when he wants to. Now, he can say that he quits when he wants to, too. After 13 seasons, this record-holding future hall-of-famer is calling it quits after a successful and dramatic career as a wide receiver in the NFL. While I’m still not 100% sure that this isn’t just another stunt to stay relevant, we will assume for the sake of this blog post that his retirement is legit. But maybe it is legit. After all, Mr. Moss isn’t really known for his perseverance. And quitting is not a new concept to him either.
I remember back in 2004 when he was still with the Vikings, he walked off the field with only two seconds remaining on the clock. Moss said he didn’t think they would win, so he left. At least he was right (the Redskins, actually, won that game).
In 2006, during his last season with the Raiders, he admitted to a lack of effort during games because he was “unhappy”. This became a theme with the Patriots. And one can’t help but think that this attitude was the reason why this talented receiver was passed around like a leftover fruitcake at Christmas last season. New England, Minnesota, Tennessee…and then the Titans said they would not re-sign him.
So in a legacy of quitting, wait, scratch that, in a legacy of saying you would be willing to quit if you were unhappy with the game you were getting, this ending is perfect. Either he’s playing a dramatic game of chicken with his career hoping to get picked up again and thrown an oversized and undeserved contract, or he’s really leaving the game.
Two years ago, Randy Moss was on my fantasy football team (my, ah hem, WINNING fantasy football team). He did well for me even though his antics scared me sometimes. Last year, I did not pick him up (thank goodness, and won without again, but without him). A football career can be fickle, the industry could be fickle. I think Randy Moss wants you to think that he’s walking away from the NFL, but it’s quite possible that the NFL is walking away from Randy Moss.
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