NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Hall of Famer and former 49ers receiver Randy Moss made an emotional return to ESPN’s coverage of the Super Bowl on Sunday, two months after he took a leave from his job to get treated for cancer.
Moss was back on ESPN’s “Sunday NFL Countdown” before Kansas City took on Philadelphia in the Super Bowl. He was greeted with a video that included messages from Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, Justin Jefferson, Kevin Garnett and several other big names welcoming him back to ESPN’s set.
Moss was moved to tears by the video before getting on with his job of analyzing the Super Bowl.
“Guys, it’s been hard, but I got a lot of love and a lot of people believing in me,” he said. “I’m happy to be here.”
Moss took a leave of absence from ESPN in early December after undergoing surgery for cancer. He said at the time that a cancerous mass was found in his bile duct, between his pancreas and liver. He said he had surgery to put a stent in his liver on Thanksgiving and later had a six-hour procedure to remove the cancer. He also said he would undergo radiation and chemotherapy.
Moss has been a fixture on the ESPN show since 2016. Moss, who turns 48 on Thursday, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018 after playing 14 seasons with the Vikings, Raiders Patriots, Titans and 49ers.
Moss ranks second in NFL history with 156 touchdown catches and fourth with 15,292 yards receiving, He set an NFL record with 23 TD receptions in 2007 for the Patriots.
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