Randy Moss could be the NFL’s answer to Charles Barkley. Already, Moss is taking a page from the Barkley playbook by claiming Moss isn’t something he necessarily is.
For Barkley, his argument that he’s not a role model was more philosophical than literal, a point on which reasonable minds may differ. For Moss, no reasonable person would agree with his latest contention.
Moss, now a member of the media by virtue of his employment with FOX in an on-air role, says he’s actually not a member of the media.
“I don’t like that term,” Moss tells Richard Deitsch of TheMMQB.com. “I just like being called part of FOX Football Daily and our Sunday show. I am not part of the media. That’s not my label, and I don’t want it to start now. I love the game of football, and this is just a new way for me to be part of the game. Everything from the makeup to the studio to the lights, camera, action, I am enjoying everything. I like to adventure out and learn new things, and this gives me the opportunity to keep learning.”
Sorry, Randy. But it is your label, whether you like it or not. Anyone who appears in an on-air capacity talking about football is a member of the media.
He’s not a reporter or a play-by-play announcer or a studio host, but he’s still part of the media. His work as an NFL analyst makes him part of the media, by the very definition of the term.
Perhaps Randy’s point is that he won’t behave like a traditional media member. For example, he likely won’t be engaging in promotional efforts like radio spots and other things that go along with being a full-fledged member of the media. Chances are he’ll bring that same stubborn independence and aloof demeanor to his new job (especially when dealing with the “media”), with interviews like the one he provided to Deitsch few and far between and the product of extensive prodding and persuading by FOX colleagues.
Regardless, Randy Moss is part of the media. He just is. If he continues to insist he isn’t, he’ll look foolish.
And if the label bothers him that much, then he needs to take off the microphone, remove the IFB, wipe off the makeup, and come back to West Virginia.