Wednesday, April 15, 1998

Coach: Knocks on Randy Moss are unfair

By JIM VERTUNO Associated Press Writer

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - Randy Moss' troubled past is as well documented as his dashes into the end zone. Yet his coach believes questions about the Marshall wide receiver's character are unfair.

Moss is the enigma of the NFL draft, a very talented athlete with a dubious past. Coaches and executives have said they don't know if spending a high draft pick on Moss is worth the risk.

"Randy has not had a problem since he's been at Marshall," Thunderiung Herd coach Bob Pruett said. "I don't think it's fair to keep chastizing someone for as far back as high school. He's being chastised only because he's a gifted athlete. If he wasn't, people wouldn't care about this."

Without the questions, Moss probably would be drafted in the top five. Now, he probably won't go that high and some people think that if he doesn't go to New Orleans with the seventh pick Saturday, he could tumble all the way to 20 or lower.

There's little question about his talent - the one rap on him is if he will catch balls over the middle, a prerequisite for a top NFL receiver.

But at 6-foot-5, he runs the 40-yard-dash in 4.3 seconds, and can leap over most defensive backs.

In 1996, he had 29 touchdowns in leading Marshall to the 1996 Division I-AA title. Last season, the school's first in Division I-A, he caught 96 passes for a I-A record 25 touchdowns and 1,820 yards.

But his personal problems make him a gamble, just like Warren Sapp and Lawrence Phillips, two highly touted players with personal problems who slid down in the draft.

Sapp, taken by Tampa Bay with the 12th overall pick in 1995, has become a Pro Bowl player and has caused no off-field problems. Phillips, taken sixth overall in 1996 by St. Louis, lasted 1-1/2 years with the Rans and now is with Miami.

Moss had a scholarship revoked by Notre Dame after being charged three years ago with beating up a high school classmate. He went to Florida State, where he redshirted his freshman season, but coach Bobby Bowden kicked Moss off the team for violating probation by smoking marijuana.

And during his first season at Marshall, Moss and the mother of his daughter were arrested on misdemeanor domestic charges. The woman's family said she was not physically harmed and the charges were dropped after both agreed to attend counseling, said Moss' attorney, Tim DiPiero.

Personnel director Bobby Grier of New England said this week he doesn't want Moss because of his past problems. Rams coach Dick Vermeil has said the same.

And Tampa Bay coach Tony Dungy said: "He's the kind of guy we wouldn't go near. We don't want personal baggage."

But Moss has visited with the Saints, Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys. And although the Bears, who pick fifth, say they're still interested, most people believe they're saying that in hopes another team will attempt to trade for their pick.

"A lot of NFL people say they're not interested in him, but I get calls daily," Pruett said. "Maybe the Patriots are not going to take him. He probably won't be around when they get their pick."

Pruett allowed Moss to join the team as a walk-on before the 1996 season.

"We set down the guidelines that he had to stay eligible and would be treated just like everyone else," Pruett said. "He's matured a great amount. He came here as a young pup."

Moss has not granted interviews in the weeks leading up to the draft.

"Everybody's beating up on him right now," DiPiero said. "It's ridiculous."

But the meetings with teams have helped.

"He feels like he accomplished a lot," DiPiero said. "That's all he's wanted, is for people to know him. It's the key to getting through the media image."

Moss will watch the draft on television from home rather than attending in person, as top prospects often do.

"The team that gets him, they're going to be a whole lot better," Pruett said. "Some of the bad press he's getting now is from people who are jockeying for position hoping he'll slide down to them."