Randy
Moss
When
asked whether he still smokes marijuana during in a 2005 pre-season interview
with for HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel," Oakland Raiders
wide receiver Randy Moss said, "I might. I might have fun. And, hopefully
... I won't get into any trouble with the NFL by saying that. I have had
fun throughout my years . . . predominantly in the offseason." The former Vikings star was found with marijuana in his car
after a traffic incident in 2002.
In
an article about Moss"s admission, sportswriter Jay Mariotti of the
Chicago Sun Times asked, "Why do we rail against steroids and
giggle about marijuana? Is it because we might have gotten high a few times
in a college dorm and went on to lead normal lives? Is it because steroids
enhance athletic performances and muddle statistical comparisons while pot,
in some households, might augment a good time? Is it because steroids can
make heads and bodies swell grotesquely while weed only gives you the munchies?"
By
all accounts, Moss has been a pleasant, cooperative teammate since joining
the Raiders in March 2005, shortly before Oakland voters approved a measure
last year to legalize, tax and regulate marijuana.
Moss's
willingness to work hard and impart his football knowledge to his impressionable
teammates does not surprise Raiders coach Norv Turner. Before picking up
Moss in March Turner spoke to former Raiders linebacker Greg Biekert, who
played with Moss in Minnesota. "From a player's standpoint, you want
to know what his chemistry was like in the locker room," Turner said.
"Biekert said it was unbelievable. He told me that at practice, every
day, you'd want to see what kind of play the guy was going to make. He said
he certainly knows how to work and he certainly knows how to help young
players."
Florida
Chargers wideout Kassim Osgood said of Moss, "He's one of those guys
you enjoy being around, just because he's always got something funny to
say. He's uplifting. He encourages you to work harder, and he takes the
young guys and he critiques your form and your work ethic. He'll challenge
you to work harder." Chargers cornerback Drayton Florence said Moss
always tried to be the first to arrive and the last to leave during their
workouts. Osgood said Moss refused to accept second place in anything they
did, including video games.
In
addition to being a great athlete, Moss also is a student of the game. Raiders
linebacker Kirk Morrison marveled at how he regularly comes to the line
of scrimmage in practice, looks at the defense and correctly calls out what
blitz is coming. Moss also studies tapes of the great wideouts who came
before him, as well as those still in the game today. Hall of Famer Lance
Alworth recently said Moss was No. 1 on his list of must-see players, a
statement that led Moss to say: "That's a hell of a compliment."
"He's
going to show his emotions when things aren't going well," Jordan said.
"You know what? Give me Randy Moss. Give me Rasheed Wallace. ... Don't
give me a guy who, when things are going well, they're going to shrug their
shoulders, they show no emotions. They're not the kind of guy I want to
go to war with. I want to go to war with a guy that when I look in his eyes,
and I look at him every day, I see, you know what, he has a passion for
winning."
In
his first three games with the Raiders, Moss had 15 catches for 343 yards.
Unfortunately, Oakland racked up 327 penalty yards too and lost all those
games. A subsequent rib injury slowed him down and quarterback Kerry Collins
took heat for failing to better utilize his star receiver, but there's always
next year.
Scientists
have long known that injured athletes or even gunshot victims have a period
of time in which the body's pain reaction is delayed. In a study published
June 22 in the journal Nature, scientists at the University of Georgia and
the University of California, Irvine, among others, found that the release
of the body's own marijuana-like compounds is crucial to stress-induced
analgesia -- the body's way of initially shielding pain after a serious
injury. And Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA's leading all-time scorer, said
he uses marijuana for migraines.
The
football player who last season seems to have done so not from marijuana
or any other illicit drug but rather from hefting his 315-pound frame across
the gridiron. San Francisco 49ers guard Thomas Herrion was not alone. ESPN
reports that last year 370 players in the NFL weighed over 300 pounds, and
even high school players are feeling the pressure to bulk up to such unhealthy
weights.
Copyright 2006
VERY
IMPORTANT POTHEADS
Debunking
Myths About Marijuana