In the Globe, Christopher Gasper writes that Patriots star receiver Randy Moss says it was “an accident.” In the Herald, Karen Guregian has a little more, reporting that Moss told her his female friend had suffered a “slight injury.” Both papers report Moss’ assertion that he did nothing wrong.
But there’s an allegation of violence against a woman, a restraining order and the certainty that we’re going to learn much more in the days and weeks ahead. Ugh.
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If Moss was guilty, he would have been a lot more tight-lipped yesterday. When you’re innocent, you can talk because you know that nothing you say can come back to bite you.
I’m not going to comment on his guilt or innocence, but I have to point out that he was talking to reporters, not testifying under oath.
Kraft is no dummy. Moss probably has multiple morals clauses in his contract, due to his history. Let’s all take a deep breath and remember the Duke lacrosse team. Can you remember the name of the woman who trivialized REAL rape with her phony accusation? I can’t either but those guys are stigmatized forever. Even Moss deserves a presumption of innocence.
This woman accusing Moss is trying to get money from him.I strongly believe that he is innocent.
Not only was he talking to reporters, he was talking to sports reporters who seem to have more interest in being part of the team fraternity than reporting anything negative. I happened to see the Moss statement and was taken by how quick the reporters were to join in and laugh along with Moss’ jokes on such a serious subject.I do understand that sports reporting is a very different animal. In order to maintain access to those you report it seems you have to be a bit of a cheerleader for the local teams and players. Due to this I tend to dismiss most of the “news reporting” performed by the sports departments.Given all that, my first reaction without any critical thought was how likable Moss was and how I wanted him to to be innocent. And this comes from a feminist who is barely a casual football fan. So the Moss strategy seems to be working so far.
I blogged about domestic violence and football last summer -http://capecodporcupine.blogspot.com/2007/08/priority-amongst-outrages.htmlThat said, the new Commissioner has done an excellent job of holding players accountable, and I really do have faith that the new systems he has put in place will actually get at the root of this – whether to condemn or exonerate Moss. His story sounds plausible, but he’s a well spoken guy.We all need to reserve judgement on this.
Bill, sports reporters may be cheerleaders to some extent, but they are also some of the first people to jump all over bad news, whether it’s true or not. Look at Roger Clemens, for example.I think their reluctance to immediately chastise Moss speaks more to their doubts about his accuser’s credibility than it does to the nature of their jobs.
Moss would be wise to cherish his right to remain silent and let his lawyer and the team spokesman do the talking.Rick makes a great point, remember “Duke lacrosse” before rushing to judgment. Also, I totally agree with Bill from Somerville. The Boston sports media, particularly the TV types, especially the second and third stringers and the newer “sports directors,” are God-awful. The lot of them seem star-struck by it all, be it Patriots or Red Sox coverage and now as the Celtics contend, them too.I’ve said it before, but many years ago, then-Patriot Ledger TV critic Terri-Ann Knopf wrote a column about local meteorologists becoming “weather clowns” on what was then 4,5 & 7. If she were to identify the TV clowns of today, it would have to be the sports reporters. As if having some of the best pro teams in the world isn’t good enough for the viewers, some of the TV sports clowns feel it necessary that they entertain too, using their own gimmicks. Fox-25’s Butch Stearns uses the smug, tough-guy act, slipping one hand into his pants pocket on-cue while the camera is on him, almost as though he’s bored with it all, then throwing the “script” (probably blank papers) to the floor towards the end of each thankfully brief segment. Then when he gets near a pro-athlete, or even worse the World Series trophy, he is like a giddy 5 year-old meeting Mickey Mouse at Disney for the first time.WHDH-7’s rookie Larry Ridley shows promise, but unnecessarily inserts his annoying “Nexxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxt” into the tease before every sportscast. Please Larry, leave the side show for the circus.Lastly, because his father apparently played in the pros umpteen years ago, WBZ-4’s Steve Burton fashions himself as some kind of modern day liaison to today’s stars, as if any player under 40 knows who he is. It’s all hilarious, even though I don’t think it’s supposed to be.
I wasn’t expecting the reporters to jump all over Moss but if you watch that media appearance, they are clearly laughing along with his jokes and letting him guide the questioning. It was definitely more hero worship than journalism in this case. I don’t expect them to declare him guilty but I would expect a tough question or two to counter the vague assertions Moss was making.
It all depends on what laundry you wear. Wilfredo Cordero played for the Red Sox in the 90s and plead guilty to wife-beating charges in 1997. His case was barely discussed on sports radio and treated with general discomfort.Phillies pitcher Brett Myers was charged with assaulting his wife in 2006 and was crucified in the local sports press when he pitched at Fenway shortly afterward. His wife didn’t want to support the procecution, and the charges were dropped.
Are we gonna have the Duke lacrosse team thrown at us every time there’s an allegation of sexual assault?No bearing.The fact that Moss is a prior offender. Yeah, I will buy that one.But then, I turned in my fan card when they signed him.They made their deal with the devil.
To liamstliam: Willie Bennett was a prior offender too. Should we round him up again?