My time in Rand, and with Randy

In light of ESPN's excellent 30-for-30 on Randy Moss -- ``Rand University'' – startribune.com is republishing the piece I did on Moss right after the Vikings drafted him.

I remember visiting his hometown of Rand, West Virginia, and being appalled at the living conditions. I remember the anger in Moss' voice when he told me about his distaste for his home state, and I remember people close to him calling me after the story was published to complain that I allowed Moss to vilify an entire region.

I covered Moss, on and off, from the day he was drafted until the day he was traded. I heard Mike Tice expound on the "Randy Ratio.'' I had Moss rip into me in the locker room in Green Bay after he rubbed his rear end on the goalpost at Lambeau Field. I heard Moss call other reporters awful names.

I also saw one of the greatest players who ever lived.

This was a player who changed the way NFL defenses operated, and the way divisional foes drafted. This was a player who came within one miraculous Giants drive in the Super Bowl as being known for a Super Bowl-winning catch.

He was probably the most talented athlete I've ever seen…and one of the most difficult.

How great could he have been if he had given full effort? How great could he have been if he didn't get frustrated and begin to drift, as he did in the '98 and 2000 NFC title games? How great would his legacy be if he hadn't walked off the field for a team that would minutes later back into the playoffs?

Moss was a born contrarian. He wasn't evil, just stubborn to a fault. As you can see now that he does television analysis, he has a great understanding for the game.

He just didn't want life to be any easier for those around him than it was for him growing up.

Here's the link to that story from 1998.