NEW YORK -- Despite efforts by New England coach Bill Belichick and wide receiver Randy Moss to paint a positive picture of the end of Moss' tenure with the Patriots, evidence to the contrary continues to mount.
Shortly after Moss was traded to the Vikings on Wednesday, reports surfaced that Moss had a heated exchange at halftime of last Monday night's game in Miami with quarterbacks coach Bill O'Brien. There was another story that Moss had refused to talk to coach Bill Belichick on the plane ride home. On Sunday, a report emerged that involved Moss' former quarterback. Charley Casserly, an ex-NFL general manager who now works on CBS' NFL pregame show, reported that Brady and Moss went toe-to-toe and had to be separated the week before the trade was made. According to Casserly, Brady did not like Moss' behavior. During the course of their argument, Brady was overheard telling Moss he needed to cut his beard. Moss countered by telling Brady he needed to get your haircut and that he look like a girl. Sports Illustrated's Peter King said later Sunday on NBC's "Football Night in America" that two highly placed sources in the Patriots organization called Casserly's report untrue. "Randy really knows how I feel about him," Brady told the Patriots website after the deal. "I love him as a guy, as a person, as a player. He did a lot of great things for this team. At the same time I think Coach Belichick feels that's what he thinks he needs to do for the team." There also was a report in the Boston Globe on Sunday that Belichick approached Moss about starting negotiations on a contract extension during training camp but Moss was not receptive and said the sides could talk after the season. Citing a source close to Moss, the newspaper said it was around that time Moss began to believe that he would be traded before the season began. That's an interesting piece of information because it was believed many of the issues between Moss and the Patriots revolved around the team's refusal to work on an extension.
