Hall of Famer Randy Moss Had an Amazing Rookie Season On and Off the Field

Rich found a recently published oral history of Randy Moss's rookie season in Minnesota and decided to fact-check it with the man himself. The Hall of Famer was happy to confirm.

The first story came from Moss's agent Bus Cook, who told the oral history that the reason Moss did not attend the NFL Combine in 1998 was dental.

"That is true," Moss said. "I think I had four pulled going into the combine, but I had to go back later on and retest."

Wisdom teeth, in the end, ran the timeline that kept the Cowboys from getting a closer look in person at the receiver they have spent two and a half decades regretting.

The Jerry Jones story came next. The Cowboys had the eighth pick that year. Moss met with them. Per the oral history, Jones told Moss the Cowboys were taking him, sent him to Deion Sanders's house instead of the standard pre-draft processes, and addressed him with a sentence Cowboys fans now hear in their nightmares.

"Randy, you're going to be a Dallas Cowboy."

"Oh man, you hurt my heart with everything you said, man," Moss told Rich, laughing. "Shout out to Jerry Jones, and yes, that is true."

Dallas drafted a different player. Moss fell 13 picks. Minnesota took him at 21. The rest is the most lopsided draft regret in modern NFL history, one Jones has apologized for publicly.

Then Leroy Hoard's claim. Rookies used to get taped to goalposts or taped up in their rooms by veterans. Hoard said Moss was the only player who avoided it because he hid behind a couch in the players' lounge under a blanket.

Moss corrected the location.

"I hid up on the ninth floor, and the guys didn't find me throughout the whole night," Moss said. "So yes, that's true. I didn't get taped my rookie year."

The last story came from Cris Carter, who was looking for Moss before Minnesota's first game in 1998 against the Buccaneers. Carter told the oral history Moss had skipped the pregame meal to play video games and was nowhere to be found. When Carter finally tracked him down, he asked if Moss had eaten. Moss showed Carter what was in his hand: a can of Coke and a box of Hot Tamales.

Moss confirmed the Hot Tamales. He denied the Coke.

He then scored a couple of touchdowns that night in his NFL debut.

The segment closed with Moss going around the locker room from memory, sending shout-outs to John Randle, Randall McDaniel ("Big Mac, you didn't get to tape me up"), Jake Reed, Robert Smith, Cris Carter, Randall Cunningham, and Dennis Green's family. He is, by his own description, back in the state for the day, sitting on Rich Eisen Show television, reminiscing about his rookie of the year season and "getting ready to chase team."