Furor Over MJ Use by Oakland Raider Moss

It's ridiculous that a member of the Oakland Raiders. whose home
town approves strongly of legal marijuana, should be raked over the
coals for smoking pot. The NFL is truly besotted with reefer
madness. Pro athletes should be able to make their own decisions
about pot. Who knows, it might even help them assuage an injury or
ward off a migraine. - D. Gieringer, Cal NORML
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/08/19/SPGL5EA92K1.DTL
Moss tells HBO he uses pot
Excerpts from show touch off Raider scandal
Nancy Gay, SF Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, August 19, 2005

Houston -- Raiders wide receiver Randy Moss has been a model citizen
since joining the team in March. But any hopes he had of setting
aside his troubled past were dashed Thursday when HBO released
excerpts from an interview with Moss in which he admits to smoking
marijuana "every once in a while."

"I have used, you know, marijuana ... since I've been in the league.
But as far as abusing it and, you know, letting it take control over
me, I don't do that, no,'' Moss said in an interview on HBO's "Real
Sports with Bryant Gumbel."

The segment, scheduled to be aired Tuesday night, is a 12-minute
feature that includes details of the former Vikings star's ongoing
relationship with Minnesota resident Kassi Spier, 9, who was
diagnosed with leukemia in 2000 after first meeting the player during
Vikings' training camp in 1998. It also addresses on and off-field
problems Moss has encountered during his football career.

Gumbel and Moss, who have a longstanding relationship, met for the
interview in Boca Raton, Fla. on July 20. Predictably, the marijuana
comments -- particularly from a player who once lost a scholarship to
Florida State for puffing on a joint -- have become the flashpoint
for even more controversy.

A simple question: "Is (marijuana) still an issue in your life?''
provoked a nearly two-minute, rambling response from Moss that HBO
left unedited in the piece.

Asked whether he still smokes marijuana, Moss said, "I might. I might
have fun. And, you know, hopefully ... I won't get into any trouble
with the NFL by saying that, you know? I have had fun throughout my
years and, you know, predominantly in the offseason.

"But, you know, I don't want any kids, you know, watching this,
taking a lesson from me as far as, 'Well, Randy Moss used it so I'm
going to use it.' I don't want that to get across. Like I say ... I
have used (marijuana) in the past. And every blue moon or every once
in a while, I might.''

Moss, on the advice of his agent, Dante DiTrapano, issued a brief
statement following the Raiders' evening practice session with the
Houston Texans on Thursday. The teams play an exhibition game
Saturday night at Reliant Stadium.

"I know ya'll have heard about my interview with HBO,'' said Moss,
who took no questions. "A lot of people are jumping to conclusions
because they really don't know the whole story, or haven't even heard
the whole story yet.

"That was really me talking in the past, the past tense of way back
in the beginning of my career, my childhood, especially in high
school and in college. So before you first jump to conclusions about
the big thing about me having or using marijuana or what not, you've
got to read the story. Because it's in my past. And that's really
what the interview was about; it was the past tense. So I'll just
leave it at that.''

Asked whether Moss' comments are a distraction to the team, Raiders
coach Norv Turner said, "It's really hard for me to answer that
because I haven't seen the interview. I don't think anyone here has
seen the interview. So I'd really rather wait until I've seen it and
know exactly what was said before I comment.''

The Raiders and the Vikings struck a deal on Feb. 23 that sent Moss
to Oakland in exchange for linebacker Napoleon Harris, plus the
Raiders' first- round pick (seventh overall) and a seventh-round
selection in the 2005 draft.

By all accounts, Moss has been a pleasant, cooperative teammate since
joining the Raiders. But his past continues to haunt him.

In 2002, Moss spent a night in a Minneapolis jail after being
arrested for allegedly pushing a traffic agent a half-block with his
Lexus, slowly driving forward and stopping only after she fell to the
ground. The agent had stepped in front of Moss' vehicle as he
attempted to make an illegal left turn in a downtown street.

Police also found marijuana in the ashtray of Moss' Lexus, and the
receiver was originally charged with suspicion of assault with a
deadly weapon, a felony, along with misdemeanor marijuana possession.
He eventually pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor traffic violation and
was ordered to pay a $1,200 fine and perform 40 hours of community
service.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Thursday that neither Moss' comments
in the HBO interview, nor his past history with the drug, confirm
that the wide receiver is currently in the league's substance-abuse
program.

"Or has been, in the past,'' Aiello said. "As with any player, that
is a confidentiality matter."

Players who have tested positive for illegal substances are placed in
Step One of the program, making them subject to as many as 10 random
tests per month. The Raiders already have one player, rookie
defensive tackle Anttaj Hawthorne, who is known to be a first-time
violator. The Raiders' sixth-round pick tested positive for marijuana
at the NFL Scouting Combine in February and has acknowledged being in
the program.

A second positive test may result in a fine equal to the players'
salary for four games, and a third violation may result in a
four-game suspension.

Players who test positive a fourth time are subject to a year's
suspension from the NFL.

"Moss has never been suspended, so that's a fact,'' Aiello said. "But
that doesn't necessarily mean he hasn't violated the policy or has
been in the program in the past.''

Could Moss' comments alone push him into the program?

"The answer to that is no,'' Aiello said. "But we evaluate all
conduct related to substance abuse and it's handled confidentially by
the doctors.''

Moss also admits in the interview that walking off the field with two
seconds remaining in the Vikings' Jan. 2 playoff game at Washington
was a mistake.

"I was wrong,'' Moss said, "but at the same time I was frustrated.''

LB Williams done: Raiders outside linebacker Sam Williams injured his
knee during the team's morning practice against the Texans, and an
MRI exam revealed a torn ACL. It's the third season in a row that
injuries (knee, shoulder, ankle) have ended the season prematurely
for the former Clayton Valley High and Fresno State standout. The
team will go with backup Grant Irons and third-round draft pick Kirk
Morrison in Saturday's game, Turner said.

E-mail Nancy Gay at ngay [at] sfchronicle.com.

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