Excellent Randy Moss story:

[hokie07 11]

You can say a lot about Randy Moss, but one thing you can't say is that he forgot where he came from. He has and continues to do wonders for Dupont and its surrounding areas, and always does it quietly and without the media attention. He is a true West Virginian who loves his state and the people in it. I'd recommend watching the video too...

 

http://www.dailymail.com/News/Kanawha/201111220229?page=1&build=cache

 

‘Everybody needs a helping hand’

 

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Former NFL wide receiver Randy Moss is used to doing good deeds with the help of his friends, but he was surprised Tuesday to have a whole team to help hand out Thanksgiving meals in eastern Kanawha County.

 

Moss, who retired from the NFL this summer after 13 years, said his desire to give back to the community remains strong.

 

Moss was at DuPont Middle School Tuesday morning to deliver boxes of food to families. This is the third consecutive year the 34-year-old Moss has come back to the area to personally hand out Thanksgiving dinners to the underprivileged.

 

"Me being from here and knowing how it is here, and how I was raised here, I was taught to lend a helping hand," Moss said. "Everybody needs a helping hand at some point."

 

The middle school is the former DuPont High School, where Moss played football and basketball in the 1990s, earning the state's top awards in both arenas.

 

His friends, who call themselves "Team Moss," are normally on hand to help him.

 

But on Tuesday, they were joined by the DuPont Middle School football team. Moss helped out the coaching staff over the summer.

 

He got emotional when the boys, dressed in their old gold jerseys, filed into the auditorium.

 

"It was very touching to see the mutual respect from them," Moss said. "It was their way of giving back."

 

Moss paid for 50 turkeys and side dishes from Foodland in Kanawha City and worked with store manager Rick Joseph to have the items boxed and ready for pickup. Moss' friends hauled the boxes to the school Tuesday. The football team then helped the recipients carry the boxes to their vehicles.

 

Donnie Jones, Moss' business manager, contacted local churches for names and addresses of those who could benefit from a free dinner. Jones then sent letters inviting them to the school for the event.

 

A Marmet woman, who did not want to provide her name, said she was thankful for Moss.

 

"His goodwill has saved my holiday," she said. "I lost my job a few months ago, and I wasn't sure up until a few days ago how I would get dinner on the table Thursday."

 

The mother of two said she was excited to meet Moss but more excited to get to work in the kitchen. She said with everything in the box she could make a large dinner for her family.

 

Moss likes the days leading up to Thanksgiving and Christmas because he can do things like he did Tuesday.

 

Earlier this year he gave students at Mary Ingles and Malden elementary schools rewards such as video game systems, bicycles, and games in exchange for doing well in school. He also spoke to young people at the West Virginia Industrial Home for Youth in Salem about making better life choices when they exit the correctional center.

 

He coached at DuPont Middle over the summer while training for the upcoming NFL season. At that point he hadn't decided to retire.

 

"They asked me to coach. I didn't want to step on anybody's toes out there," he said.

 

He said the three weeks he spent with the players was hard work and felt more like two months but he enjoyed spending time with them. He trained in the mornings before the boys started practice and worked with them on skills on and off the field.

 

"I felt like now would be the best time to give a little or all of my knowledge of the game back to the kids," Moss said. "Maybe they could use it."

 

Tommy Canterbury, DuPont's assistant coach and assistant principal at Capital High School, said it was "unbelievable" watching Moss work with the children.

 

"Everyone always talks about having high expectations, but his expectations of the boys were way up there," Canterbury said. "He had the sixth graders learning and reading defenses. The way he had those kids working, I've never seen anyone interact with young people quite the way he does."

 

The team won one game out of eight last season, Canterbury said. This season, they went 4-4. He said the team won all of its scrimmage games and attributed their success to Moss.

 

"We were still the coaches, but he would stand in the end zone on the sidelines offering up suggestions," Canterbury said. "It was intimidating because, you know, you don't get to the level he was at without some kind of skill and a whole lot of determination.

 

"But after that first week, he was just Randy. He's been good to us."

 

The former wide receiver donated money to the school to remodel the old field house, including adding a player's lounge where team members can relax or warm up. Canterbury said Moss also talked to the boys about life, success and giving back to their communities.

 

"It wasn't all football, all the time," he said.

 

Moss said he has been relaxing since retiring from the NFL in August. The decision was quick. One day he was training for the upcoming season, and the next he decided to quit "straight cold turkey."

 

He retired as a free agent but last saw action with the Tennessee Titans.

 

"Football had me blinded to a lot of things going on in my family," he said. "A lot of things didn't hit me until my life slowed down but now I'm able to kiss my girlfriend in the morning and my daughter. You sacrifice a lot of time as a professional athlete, and you don't take time to slow down."

 

A South Florida resident, the avid fisherman has been spending a lot of time on the water and some time golfing.

 

"I just gave up football because football is not me; football is what I do," Moss said. "I'm a loving father, I'm a loving son and I love my lord and savior, Jesus Christ."

 

"But all those three does not make me a football player. Football playing is something I chose to do, and they said I was pretty good at it."

 

Moss said he would be back in the area next summer but didn't know if he would have the opportunity to work with the team again.

[trublue 939]

Thanks for posting.

 

I know Randy Moss has not been a "role" model in his sports career but, I've always been a Randy Moss football fan.

 

Note, I didn't say a fan of his antics and lack of judgement in headline situations that overshadowed his on the field performances and greatness.

 

He readily admits in the video that he's made mistakes...that's a sign of maturity and a realization of his fading days on the football field...and, I'm surmising his inner spiritual awareness of a higher Being and the accountability for his life's earthly journey.

 

Phil. 4:7-9