The RotoWire Blog has been retired.

These archives exist as a way for people to continue to view the content that had been posted on the blog over the years.

Articles will no longer be posted here, but you can view new fantasy articles from our writers on the main site.

Vikings Player Granted Anonymity to Smear Randy Moss

In an ESPN article, blogger Kevin Seifert cites an anonymous player who alleges Moss badmouthed the food at a catered event in earshot of the caterers, and implies that's the real reason he got cut.

Putting aside whether even if true that's grounds for cutting a player, Seifert doesn't once name the player who alleged Moss was rude to the caterers. Without knowing who it is, how can a reader possibly judge its credibility? If it was a player who Brad Childress brought in and is loyal to him, then he'd have a motive to make Moss look bad and justify the decision. Or maybe it's a player who doesn't like Moss for some other reason. But we'll never know since the player who's smearing Moss is granted anonymity by Seifert.

There are some cases where journalists must protect their sources - someone reporting on dirty cops, whistleblowers who could be targeted by those on whom they're reporting, but this is plainly not the case here. Moss is about to be cut, and he has no power to retaliate against any of the sources. If you're going to badmouth the guy, at least be man enough to attach your name to it. And if you're a journalist, don't let someone take a shot at Moss in your column and let him hide in anonymity.