Randy Moss haters might want to stop right here.

You know who you are---every time a positive story about Moss comes out---you trot out the following—“he’s not a good teammate…says he “takes plays off.”---“he fake-mooned the Green Bay crowd”….”he left an Oakland game with 10 seconds left and headed to the locker room”..”he squirted an official with a water bottle”…and he said “he’s from the University of Rand on national television instead of Marshall University.”

Every single one of those incidents happened. And I am in no way being an apologist for Randy Moss’ well publicized missteps. What I’m here to tell you about is the Randy Moss I spent the better part of the day with on Friday. So if you’ve already formed an unflinching opinion of Moss, you might not want to read this.

Moss was in Huntington as the guest speaker at the Huntington Boys’ and Girls’ Club Dinner. It’s the largest fundraiser of the year for the Boys’ Club and goes a long way toward giving disadvantaged youngsters some hope…and a chance at a better life. You should have seen the sight as the 6-4 All Pro Wide Receiver walked into the club to visit with the kids on a Friday afternoon. Nattily attired in a suit, Moss captivated the crowd and looked like the Pied Piper as the kids followed him from room to room. He signed autographs, posed for pictures, and stood in the gym as the kids sang songs for him. Even though he and his group were running a little late, he never seemed like he was in a hurry to leave. Moss looked like he felt right at home.

Later that night, I had the honor of emceeing the Boys’ and Girls’ Club dinner at the Pullman Plaza. I sat beside Randy and we talked about the days’ earlier ceremony in Charleston, when the state of West Virginia unveiled a commemorative Randy Moss envelope. He spoke of how nice an event it was and how proud his Mom was to be there. He recalled how playing football in college was the most fun he’s ever had playing the game. He talked candidly about the disappointment of the Super Bowl loss.

We already had planned to have an “interview”-like session after his brief dinner talk, when I would ask him questions I thought the crowd would be interested in hearing his answers to. Before we got to that part of the program, Randy said, “let’s take the microphone out to the crowd, I’d like for them to have the opportunity to ask some questions too.” That was when Moss stole the show. One youngster asked him what it meant when he did a breaststroke-like move after his touchdowns. He laughed and said, “that’s what happens when I part the defensive backs and score a touchdown.” He reminisced with the crowd about his electrifying touchdown catch and run versus Army. He also said that former Chicago Bears great Walter Payton was his idol growing up.

Most importantly, he said he wants to start a golf tournament fundraiser that would help to establish a learning center for kids in West Virginia. To help them have the opportunity and resources that he and a lot of children in West Virginia never had access to.

I think Randy Moss shows a different side of himself when he’s in front of the national media. Sometimes, petulant, sometimes defiant, always guarded. The Randy Moss face he puts on “at home” is a far more relaxed version.

Simply put, Randy Moss was engaging, funny, open, and sincere. All day long. For those who’ve gotten their impressions of Moss from what they read in the national media, I only ask that you consider the good the man does. Things he doesn’t talk about out loud. When he pays for and escorts kids to Kings’ Island or Sea World, he doesn’t do it for the public relations benefit he could get by notifying the media, he does it because he enjoys the reaction he gets from children.

Coincidentally, the exact same reaction he got at the Boys’ and Girls’ Club.