Randy Moss Keeps His Promise To Leukemia Survivor

Off and on through his storied NFL career Randy Moss has drawn some bad press.  More often than not, when you look behind the scenes, it's unwarranted.

When Randy Moss was in Minnesota in 2000, he visited 4 year old Kassi Spier who had just received her leukemia diagnosis at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.  He'd first met her during his rookie year at an autograph signing, according to the Associated Press.

Spier told the (St. Paul) Pioneer Press that Moss had a hard time saying goodbye during that visit.  "He cried because he didn’t want to leave," she said at the time.

In 2003, Spier followed Moss to lunch almost every day during training camp in Mankato, MN, with "her tiny hand tucked inside his." Moss offered encouragement in 2004 when Spier's father died in a car accident, and again in 2013 when she was diagnosed with brain cancer.  Somewhere along the way Moss promised Spier he would be at her graduation.  Spier lives in Pelican Rapids, MN, a small town of 2,500 about 45 miles southeast of Fargo, ND.

When Kassi Spier finally walked across the stage in Pelican Rapids High School with her graduating class of 72 people, it was Randy Moss that handed her the diploma flashing that great big Randy Moss smile.  According to Pelican Rapids Public School District Superintendent, Deb Wanek, the school didn't know Moss would be at the ceremony until just before it started.

"We had heard there was a possibility," she said. "But we didn’t know."

"She’s had many struggles in her life, and he’s been there for her," Wanek said. "He told her he’d be at her high school graduation."