NFL hall of famer asks for prayers as he faces health issue

Pro Football Hall-of-Famer and sportscaster Randy Moss is asking for prayers as he experiences what he calls an unspecified health challenge.

In a video posted to Instagram Sunday ahead of the ESPN pregame show “Sunday NFL Countdown,” the co-host and former NFL receiving great announced that “throughout the week of the holidays, man, your boy has been battling something internal.”

He urged “all the prayer warriors” to “put their blessing hands on me and my family through these hard times.”

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While Moss did not describe his ailment, he said, “People were talking about my eyes last week.” He put on sunglasses before reiterating that he was “battling something” and expressing confidence that he was “going to get through it.” 

“I got a great team of doctors and I got a great family around me, man,” he added. Moss urged viewers to embrace best practices when it comes to health maintenance: “Do your checkups, get your bloodwork done.” 

Moss shared his gratitude for the prayers he’s received thus far.

In a follow-up video posted shortly after he published the first one, he acknowledged that his previous video would lead to “people concerned” and “asking questions” about his well-being. 

“At this time, I’m just going to keep a lot of things private,” he said. “I need your prayers.”

The remainder of the video featured Moss and his co-hosts bantering about the performances of NFL teams with about a month left in the regular season.

Moss addressed his situation on air, restating his comments about internal battles and assuring viewers he was “doing great” before warning that he may have to wear sunglasses on air.

“It’s not being disrespectful because I’m on television, man. I’m battling something, man. I need all the prayer warriors. God bless you and thanks for the prayers.”

Moss’ co-hosts each put on a pair of glasses to express solidarity with the sportscaster.

As a four-time first-team All-Pro wide receiver, Moss’ 14-year career in the NFL consisted of stints with the Minnesota Vikings, the Oakland Raiders, the New England Patriots, the Tennessee Titans and the San Francisco 49ers. He led the league with the most receiving touchdowns in a season five times in his career. 

In his younger days, Moss had a run-in with law enforcement related to marijuana use and a traffic altercation involving a police officer. In 2008, a woman accused Moss of domestic violence at her Florida home, an allegation he denied.

Moss touched upon his Christian faith in his Hall-of-Fame enshrinement speech in 2018, in which he stated that he needed to learn from his own mistakes. 

“First and foremost, I want to give honor to God. Without God being in my life, none of this, me being here on this Earth, me being here in this gold jacket, would not be possible,” he said. “So I want to give my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ all the love that He deserves for putting me here in Canton, Ohio.”

After identifying “faith, family and football” as “what makes Randy Moss,” he said, “God put me here to teach and to lead others down the right path.”

“But first, I had to learn from my own mistakes,” Moss said. “I had to mature. And with all that, I had to stay right with God.”

“I never knew so many people wanted me to fail. Why? Is it because of the man He made me to be or the talent He blessed me with?” Moss wondered. “The hatred, ridicule and assassination of a man’s character is exactly what I grew up reading in the Bible. Isaiah 54:17, ‘No weapon formed against me shall prosper and every tongue that rises up in judgment will be condemned.'”

“He brought me through some tough times: social, economic ignorance, racism” and poverty, he said, giving thanks to Christ for a “wonderful praying mother.” 

“When I came into the NFL, I had no sense of direction,” he recalled. “All I wanted to do is play football. My mom knew nothing about sports. Raised in a church, every day, all day, seven times out of seven days, and I think they tried to slide an eighth day in there, too, not for one second did I not think God was in control of my life.”