Agent Tim DiPiero said in a release issued Sunday that receiver Randy Moss has decided to finish his career without an agent. We nevertheless continued to hear that, despite this assertion, Moss plans to hire a new agent after parting ways with DiPiero.
So Moss called Ian Rapoport of the Boston Herald to set the record straight.
“To all the agents out there,” Moss said, “I am a free man! I am looking for a new agent. I got this football thing under control, but going into my 13th year in the league, I’m still marketable. I’m looking for an agent that’s going to get me out there with my marketing ability. I can shoot commercials. That’s what I’m looking for right now -- that off-the-field money. I really wasn’t into commercials, because I wanted to concentrate on one objective, being a better football player year-in and year-out. Now, late in my career, I’m still thinking I have some marketing opportunities out there. I need an agent or agency that’s going to get out there and find those business deals off the field.”
Despite speculation in some circles that Moss parted ways with DiPiero because Moss wants someone who can and will engineer his return to Minnesota, Moss sounds like he’s fully committed to the Patriots, at least for the final year of his contract. “I wanted to let fans know, this is my year,” Moss said. “I’m going to play the year, I’m not coming in to start any conflicts or be disgruntled. I don’t think I’m realistically in the future plans of the Patriots. But if the New England Patriots don’t want me in their future, [it’s a business]. I understand.”
So what about DiPiero’s contention that Moss would be agent-free moving forward? Moss possibly wanted to let him down easily. And now Moss wants an agent who’ll help max out his earnings, both on the field and off.
We still don’t rule out the possibility that Moss also would like to get a big payday now, and that if it won’t be coming from the Pats he’d like to get it from someone else. For those in the audience inclined to accept his vow to give the Patriots all he’s got in 2010 at face value, keep this in mind: He apparently spoke with forked tongue to the man who helped shepherd him through 12 years in the NFL, and several challenging years before that.
So if Moss wasn’t straight with DiPiero after all the time they’ve spent working together, strangers can’t expect him to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, either.
