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Last December, former NFL wide receiver and Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss announced that he had been diagnosed with cancer.
Moss explained at the time that he had recently undergone a procedure to have a stent put in his liver because the waste wasn’t draining correctly, which is when doctors then found cancer in his bile duct, which he said was “right between the pancreas and the liver.”
Randy underwent surgery to remove the cancer, and spent six days in the hospital, announcing that he would be undergoing chemotherapy and radiation but confirming that he was doing well.
The current ESPN analyst had stepped away while he underwent surgery, but was able to return to his job just before the Super Bowl earlier this year. And he was back on ESPN earlier this week at the season opener for UNC, which is coached by his former NFL coach Bill Belichick. (Moss was also spotted sitting with Belichick’s 24-year old girlfriend as the Tar Heels dropped their season opener 48-14).
But this week, Randy celebrated a big milestone in his health journey as he officially completed his cancer treatment.
The Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute in Charlotte shared a video of Moss ringing the ceremonial bell, signifying the end of his treatment, with the legendary wide receiver choking back tears as he shared his gratitude for the staff that had treated him in his battle against cancer:
“I want to thank everybody here at this hospital for welcoming me to be a part of their family, of their extended family. I’ve told y’all this before, y’all do a great job of taking care of people and I know it’s an emotional moment, but I thank you all. God bless.”
Moss recently discussed his cancer journey with Robin Roberts, who admits that he was nervous when he got the diagnosis:
“When you live your life a certain type of way of eating right, taking care of your health, and all of a sudden you get diagnosed with cancer, it’s kinda like, I was overwhelmed, just hit with a ton of bricks.”
Randy revealed that his cancer was at a stage 2 when it was discovered, and that doctors removed “parts of several organs” during his operation. But he credits his faith with being able to make it through the battle:
“I talk about my faith in the Lord, I talk about how much I love my family, and I talk about the game that I grew up loving at a small age, and that’s football. I put one more F in that category, and that’s the fight. Because that’s what I needed to do.”
And if there’s anybody who’s going to give cancer the fight of its life, it’s Randy Moss.
Moss is obviously in the conversation for greatest wide receiver of all time. During his college career at Marshall University, the West Virginia native led the Thundering Herd to an undefeated season during his first year, and a 25-3 record over two years in Huntington.
Moss scored at least one touchdown in all 28 of his college games and was a Heisman Trophy finalist in 1997 before declaring for the NFL Draft, being taken in the first round by the Minnesota Vikings.
During his 14-year career in the NFL that included stints with not only the Vikings but also the New England Patriots, the then-Oakland Raiders, the Tennessee Titans and the San Francisco 49ers, Moss set the NFL record for the most touchdown receptions in a season and retired with the highest career yards per catch average of any player in the NFL.
He was also selected for the Pro Bowl six times during his NFL career, is second all time in touchdown receptions and fourth all time in receiving yards, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame back in 2018.
Simply put, he’s one of the greatest to ever do it.
It’s no surprise that cancer got Mossed too.
