When it comes to first impressions at a new job, you can’t do much worse than Randy Moss did when he was traded to the New England Patriots.
The former NFL wide receiver and current ESPN analyst had plenty of interesting things to say about his time in New England during a recent interview with ESPN, especially about how his first interaction went with Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
“I got a phone call and it was Bill Belichick,” Moss told ESPN. “I thought it was a friend or somebody playing with my phone. I actually cussed him out. When he kept saying it was Bill Belichick, I knew he was serious. I started being apologetic because I had cussed the man. Then he told me the Raiders were thinking about trading me. I had to be in Foxboro by 10 p.m. Eastern, or the trade would void. So, I just did everything that I could possibly do to get up there by 10 p.m.
“After I got off the phone with him, I was excited. I was hyped. I was in a club that night. Defensive tackle Shaun Rogers, who played for the Detroit Lions at the time, was there, so I went up there, high-fiving him, hugging random people. Shaun asked me what was going on and I said to him, ‘I’m getting ready to be a Patriot.’ The first thing that came out of his mouth was, ‘Man, that’s cheatin’.'”
To say everything ended up working out well for Moss with his new coach would be an understatement. He went on to set the NFL record for single-season touchdowns receptions in 2007, and he helped the Pats go 16-0 during the regular season after a string of two relatively quiet seasons with the Oakland Raiders.
And to think, it all started with a few swears on the phone.
Thumbnail photo via Mike DiNovo/USA TODAY Sports Images
