John Tomase of the Boston Herald has penned a couple of compelling pieces regarding the Patriots' latest acquisition, receiver Randy Moss.
In one item, Tomase talks about the high school incident that might have directly contributed to the cautious, mistrusting demeanor that Moss has projected for more than a decade. Tomase mentions the "T" word in connection with a report from ESPN that Pats coach Bill Belichick worked Moss out during the offseason and came away convinced that Moss still has it. But if the workout occurred after Moss received permission from the Raiders to seek a trade partner, it's not tampering.
The potentially stronger evidence of tampering is the revelation in Tomase's article that Moss reached out to Belichick through an intermediary during the 2006 season. If the Raiders had not given Moss permission to shop himself at the time, and if the New England response was anything more than "by rule, we cannot speak with you or anyone on your behalf," then that could constitute tampering.
But none of it matters. The NFL won't do anything about it, even if the Raiders were to complain. The anti-tampering provision does not stop tampering, because violations of it are never penalized; we're starting to think that the rule remains on the books simply to keep the tampering from being more blatant.
05-04-2007, 01:17 PM
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