The Minnesota Vikings joined the outpouring of support for franchise legend and Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss. Moss stepped away from his duties with ESPN and “Sunday NFL Countdown” in 2024 due to a bout with liver cancer.
Moss is set to return to his regular role this season and is eager to do so.
“It was very difficult just being able to sit there every week and watch my team go out there and perform, and I can’t be with them,” Moss told Michael Babcock on “TMZ Sports TV” on July 11.
“It was an emotional roller coaster. But being able to see the support from the ESPN Sunday Countdown crew, the football fans, and just people in general, man, just showing their love and respect. So, I thanked everybody for their love and their prayers, and it was tremendously – I really felt everything. I felt all of it.”
“Just being able to experience that was nothing I wish on any man or any human being,” Moss said, sending support to those currently battling cancer who reached out to him. “But for the fact that God took me through it and brought me out of it back healthy, being able to be back with my family, great support system, and some great doctors around me. Like I said, it was an emotional roller coaster. But the people I met on the way, I’m a blessed man. I’ll leave it at that.”
Moss’ was a rare form of cancer, found in the bile duct between his liver and pancreas. He also had a stent put in his liver and underwent chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Moss last played for the Vikings in 2010. He spent seven full seasons with the franchise to begin his career as the No. 21 overall pick in the 1998 draft. He also played for the New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, and Tennessee Titans.
Randy Moss’ Son Spoke Out Against Leaks About Father’s Health
GettyThaddeus Moss #81 of the Cincinnati Bengals warms up before a preseason game against the Washington Commanders.
Part of Moss’ rollercoaster was simply trying to control just how much of the former Vikings star’s story was made public and when.
Minnesota beat writer Larry Fitzgerald Sr. expressed support for Moss. That was much to the chagrin of the Vikings legend’s son, Thaddeus Moss. The young Moss rejected the notion that Fitzgerald had any contact with or justification for making his father’s plight public.
Thaddeus Moss called the post “disgusting” and told Fitzgerald to “check your f****** sources.”
Former Vikings QB Brett Favre also expressed support for Randy Moss, only for Thaddeus to suggest the report was false.
After having surgery in November, Moss announced his battle with cancer in a video in December 2024. He returned to a limited role for the Super Bowl in February but is expected back in full for 2025.
Vikings Icon Randy Moss set for Return to ‘NFL Countdown’
GettyMinnesota Vikings legend Randy Moss shows excitement during a broadcast.
ESPN released a statement expressing the network’s collective excitement about Moss’ return. They noted the ex-Vikings playmaker provided a boost in February.
“Randy’s return on Super Bowl Sunday was an emotional lift — not just for our team but for the entire football community,” ESPN said in the statement, per The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand on July 1. “Knowing he will resume his full Sunday NFL Countdown schedule, beginning in Week 1, has been the highlight of the offseason.”
“Man, I look forward to it. I missed my crew,” Moss said. “We have a great group of guys that I work with that I tremendously missed for two months, and ESPN accepted me back with open arms.
“I just can’t wait for week one to get back with the crew and talk football.”
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