More on why he was waived. What a jerk.
Report: Rant cost Randy Moss support
ESPN.com news services
Randy Moss, who is expected to be waived by the Minnesota Vikings on Tuesday, may have alienated some teammates when he roundly criticized a post-practice meal in front of the local restaurant owners who catered it, Yahoo! Sports reported.
Every Friday, the Vikings invite a local establishment to cater the team's post-practice meal. Last Friday, it was a St. Paul restaurant -- a favorite of former Vikings center Matt Birk -- that served chicken, pasta, ribs and other dishes.
It was already a disappointing season in Minnesota before Brad Childress sent Randy Moss packing. That doesn't bode well for Childress' job security, writes Kevin Seifert. Blog
While his teammates lined up to dig in, Moss lashed out, according to the report.
Moss yelled "What the [expletive]? Who ordered this crap? I wouldn't feed this to my dog," a player who witnessed the incident said, according to Yahoo! Sports.
The Vikings decided to cut ties with Moss on Monday, despite having given up a third-round draft choice to acquire him from the New England Patriots a month ago.
"This decision was made based on what we thought was in the best interests of the Minnesota Vikings, both in the short and long term," coach Brad Childress said in a statement. "We wish Randy the best as he moves forward in his career."
Moss' name did not appear on the league's official waiver report Monday, but he could be awarded to another team as early as Wednesday.
Moss' agent, Joel Segal, said Tuesday on ESPN Radio's "The Scott Van Pelt Show" that Moss' departure from the Vikings came as a shock and added that only Childress knows why Moss was sent packing.
"It seemed like something did change" during Moss's short return to the Vikings, Segal said. "I don't know that I can pinpoint it. I think really the only one that would probably know would be the coach."
The player who witnessed Moss' food tirade called it "an uncomfortable moment," adding that he felt Moss deserved to be cut after the incident, Yahoo! Sports reported.
"This wasn't a chain -- it was a mom-and-pop restaurant, and you could tell it was their best stuff," the witness said, according to the report. "And [Moss] is at his locker saying, 'You know, I used to have to eat that crap -- but now I've got money.' You just felt so sad for them. I had never seen anyone treated like that.
"And by the way, the food was actually really good."
Scott Van Pelt
Joel Segal, Randy Moss' agent, talks about how Moss found out he was waived by Minnesota, his reaction to the news and what comes next for his client.
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A source who was at a team meeting on Monday, in which Childress informed the Vikings that Moss would be leaving, said it was clear the coach was referring to Moss' criticism of the locker-room meal when he said "This just doesn't fit with how we treat people, how we talk to people and how we act," according to Yahoo! Sports.
Moss' perceived lack of effort in the Vikings' last two games and his postgame comments after Sunday's loss at New England have widely been seen as reasons for the Vikings giving up on the wide receiver after a month.
Following the Vikings' 28-18 loss to the Patriots, in which Moss had one catch for 8 yards, the veteran receiver announced that he would not be answering any more questions from the media for the rest of the season.
He also criticized the Vikings for not heeding his advice on certain plays the Patriots were likely to use against the Vikings. He also expressed his admiration for the Patriots.
"I'm definitely down that we lost this game. I didn't expect we'd lose this game," Moss said. "I don't know how many more times I'll be in New England again. But I leave coach Belichick and those guys with a salute: 'I love you guys. I miss you. I'm out.' "
On Monday, Childress disagreed with Moss' assertion that the Vikings ignored the receiver's advice.
"I think we did a pretty good job of heeding it, both offensively and defensively," Childress said, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "He gave us some windows into how we thought they would end up playing. That's obviously in his eyes."
A team can claim Moss and pick up the final year of a contract that pays him $6.4 million in base salary. Winless Buffalo has the worst record in the league and the first shot to claim Moss, followed by Carolina and Dallas (Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday he will not claim Moss). If no team claims him, the Vikings owe Moss the remaining $3.388 million on his deal. He'd be available for around $450,000 and Moss could choose the team he would like to join.
Various league sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter that the Washington Redskins, Chicago Bears, St. Louis Rams, Miami Dolphins, Oakland Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs, Seattle Seahawks, New York Jets and even the Patriots are among the teams possibly interested in claiming Moss.
"Obviously, there's a number of clubs who could use Randy," Segal said on "The Scott Van Pelt Show." He added that he was not in talks with any potential suitors and would not do so until a claim is made.
"We're going to let the waiver process play itself out, see who claims Randy and then hopefully it will be a good situation," he said.
Sources close to the situation told Schefter that Vikings owner Zygi Wilf is angry that his team plans to waive a player he wanted in Minnesota. Wilf played a major role in the re-acquisition of Moss and is unhappy with the way Monday's events regarding Moss unfolded.
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