ShareThisLess than a month after bringing Randy Moss back to the Minnesota Vikings, coach Brad Childress jettisoned the star wide receiver after four games.
According to an NFL source, Childress did not immediately inform owner Zygi Wilf of his intentions, upsetting the owner, who had just given up a draft choice and committed millions to the mercurial receiver. The apparent lack of communication meant Moss was not put on waivers by the 3 p.m. deadline and the team did not confirm he was gone until issuing a statement Monday night.
After reaching the NFC title game last season, the Vikings brought back every starter in an attempt to take the next step: the Super Bowl. But after a 2-5 start and an increasingly frosty relationship with quarterback Brett Favre, another high-priced star, Childress' job might be in jeopardy. A repeat failure to communicate with his bosses -- his 2006 dismissal of wide receiver Marcus Robinson on Christmas Eve was a public relations disaster -- isn't likely to help Childress' cause.
He might not care. A member of the franchise who was privy to details of a team meeting Monday said Childress told players that Moss' actions were not consistent with what he wanted from his guys. The coach said his superiors could fire him, but he was going to make the move regardless.
Childress' only public statement was more measured.
"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," Childress said. "We wish Randy the best as he moves forward in his career."
If Moss is claimed off waivers, the team that gets him would inherit the final year of a contract that is worth $6.4 million in base salary. But if Moss passes through waivers, the Vikings will owe Moss the remaining $3.888 million on his deal and another team could sign Moss for approximately $450,000.
All of this activity came a day after a 28-18 loss at New England, which traded Moss to the Vikings on Oct. 6 for a third-round pick in the 2011 draft.
In his return to Foxboro, Moss had only one catch for 8 yards and then broke his recent media silence with a rambling statement in which he refused to take questions and went on to criticize the Vikings for not paying closer attention to what he told them about the Patriots' tendencies. He then made it clear just how much he loved the Patriots organization.
Interestingly, Childress conducted a news conference that began at early Monday afternoon and featured 12 questions about Moss. The media did not know that he intended to waive Moss, he did not mention it and did his best to appear unaffected by Moss' 4-minute, 52-second statement.
"Do I find it incendiary?" he said. "I just think he was going back to a spot that he has a lot of affection for and I thought by and large those comments were regarding the people there, the coach there, the ownership there and obviously there's a fondness in his heart for those guys on that football team. Hey, you'd like to go out there and beat their tails off, nothing he would like better, but at the same time he enjoyed his stay there."
Childress went on to say that he hadn't talked to Moss because he had allowed him to stay in the Boston area to spend time with family. "He'll be back here Wednesday morning, Tuesday night," Childress said.
The closest Childress came to tipping his hand happened when he was asked if he was sorry he traded for Moss. "Do I regret acquiring him?" Childress said. "Not at present I don't, no."
But shortly after he finished addressing the media, NFL Network reported that Moss was going to be waived. Confirmation came from linebacker Ben Leber, who was the only player in the locker room when the media was allowed in about 90 minutes later.
Moss' locker at Winter Park continued to have his nameplate above it and was filled with his belongings. A few stalls over, safety Jamarca Sanford addressed the expected move.
"As far as I'm concerned, he was a good teammate, from what we know," Sanford said. "But you never know what goes on behind closed doors. So, I'm not trying to get into that. As far as I know he was a great teammate and he's a great guy."
Moss, 33, who was the Vikings' first-round draft pick in 1998 and became a fan favorite before being traded to Oakland in 2005, had only 13 receptions for 174 yards with two touchdowns in four games with the Vikings.
His departure continues a turmoil-filled season that includes the NFL's ongoing investigation into whether Favre texted inappropriate pictures to former Jets sideline reporter Jenn Sterger when he was with that team in 2008.
"Every time I come to work I see the news trucks sitting out there," Leber said.
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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