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Pastimes : The new NFL -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Fuzzy who wrote (56)	9/30/2002 7:59:00 PM
From: Augustus Gloop	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89570

Moss is toast You certainly can’t argue with Randy Moss’ talent. But his personality is another question. Moss is a Viking only because his past was dark enough to scare every team with a pick in the top 20 of the ’98 draft sufficiently to pass on the elite talent. He had legal foul-ups that cost him in college — a fight revoked his scholarship to Notre Dame, and a marijuana charge got him booted from Florida State — but Moss steered relatively clear of legal troubles in his first four seasons in the NFL — at least publicly. But in a major sidebar to his double-misdemeanor arrest behind the wheel of his Lexus last week, traces of marijuana were discovered by authorities. The amount, which was not significant, did not matter as greatly as the possible repercussions Moss could face. Moss, who we’re told was immediately tested by the league for substance abuse after his latest brush with the law, already has one strike against him and could be suspended four games if the results come back positive this week. Vikings head coach Mike Tice had planned on sitting Moss down vs. Seattle last Sunday night for his vehicular mischief. But the league does not allow suspensions of players with pending court hearings or trials. Until Moss is proved guilty or not guilty, he can’t be handcuffed by the Vikings. At this point, however, we’re told it doesn’t appear Tice would attempt to keep Moss out of the lineup. We hear various team leaders, including QB Daunte Culpepper and C Matt Birk, revealed to Tice after a specially held meeting that the team didn’t want Moss punished. In addition to a unanimous feeling around the team that Moss’ crime was not serious enough to warrant a team suspension, at least one player told Tice that benching Moss would unnecessarily punish the other 52 players on the roster more than it would Moss. But a four-game suspension, should he test positive for marijuana, could remove Moss from his lofty perch in the Vikings’ locker room. No matter how great his effort to conform and become a leader, the absence of Moss would result in a harsh reality for the Vikings. It would also draw the ire of owner Red McCombs, who our sources say has not been satisfied with the player to whom he gave a $75 million contract and $18 million signing bonus prior to the 2001 season. McCombs was disappointed in Moss last season, when he cursed executive sponsors on a team bus and made the infamous "I play when I want to play" comment, which he refused to retract. Moss’ latest transgression, coupled with what could be potentially devastating news as his league-mandated drug-test results are revealed, adds fuel to the fire for those calling for Moss to be marshaled out of Minnesota. We hear, however, that isn’t likely to happen with the specter of a cap hit of more than $13 million if the Vikings would cut or release him. But one thing has changed in Winter Park: The days of massaging Moss’ ego are definitely over.