Editor’s Note: Thanks to corrections made in comments, factual errors in this column have been revised.

Randy Moss: to some a show stopping athlete who played a crucial role in the New England Patriots’ past dynasty. To others a disrespectful showoff – a poor excuse for a role model. This dichotomy arises because while Moss is undoubtedly an exemplary athlete on the field, he has had numerous off the field altercations that mar his image. Despite his graceless conduct on numerous occasions, Moss should still be viewed as a role model, though not in a traditional sense.

The success of Moss on the football field is indisputable: receiving honors at every echelon of competition. In high school, Moss excelled at basketball as well as football, and he won the award for high school athlete of the year in his home state of Virginia West Virginia. At Marshall University, Moss had four 200+ yard games, a touchdown reception in every game of his four two years, was a candidate for the Heisman Trophy and led his team to a Division 1-AA title. In the National Football League, among his many accolades and a sure spot in the Hall of Fame, he currently holds the record for most touchdown receptions in a single season with 27 23, a record he set with the Patriots in 2007.

Despite his wild success on the field, critics of Moss delight at the opportunity to criticize the superstar’s unconventional actions off the field. Throughout his career, Moss has always been a bit of a misfit. He had a rough start to his college football career when he was sentenced, the summer before his freshman year, to 30 days in prison for assault and battery. Since then he has cleaned up his act slightly, mostly relegating himself to acts of poor sportsmanship towards his own team, or lazy antics on field. Combine this with a short temper for the media, and Moss is the antithesis of the player Roger Goodel wants him to be.

The problem with this, at least for Moss, is that Goodel has no problem laying down fines as he attempts to tame NFL players the same way a zookeeper domesticates a lion. Molding players into the form he desires by controlling their actions. There are many examples of this forced conformity throughout the years, the latest of which is his crackdown on the use of social media before and after games by players and coachers.

Moss’s most recent incident cost him his spot on the Vikings when he reportedly disrupted a team buffet in the locker room after practice. While in line for the meat carving station, Moss let forth a tirade, telling the owner of the local restaurant that was providing buffet just how much he disliked the food. Moss is quoted as saying, “I wouldn’t feed this s*** to my f***ing dog” among other pleasantries.

It goes without saying that young children, or anyone for that matter, should not emulate Moss’s actions in this situation. He was abrasive and offensive. However, there is one positive aspect to take away from this outburst. Moss demonstrates a total disregard for the dignity of the restaurant owner, and at the same time proves his independence by rejecting the code of conduct that is expected by the league and his team. Just as a traveler casts off an un-needed winter coat in summer temperatures, Moss shed the expectations of the league, demonstrating that he is unwilling to conform to the prescribed standards of conduct that so clearly do not fit him.

It may seem unthinkable to some of you that I would cast Moss’s recent actions in a positive light. However, this type of non-conformist behavior is exactly what we need in professional sports at this point in time. I am worn out by the constant necessity of political correctness, and it makes me envious to see someone with the gall to defy this aggravating social requirement. Instead of putting his head down and taking the well tread path, Moss acts according to his feelings, with no regard to how Godell wants him to act.

We can all learn a thing or two from Moss’s questionable code of conduct throughout his career. He is not afraid to spit in the face of his superior, an act of rebellion that, when used sparingly, checks power and challenges dictators. Even though he is usually punished for his action off the field, his ability to rise to greatness on the field is a constant reminder that Moss is here to stay. Moss’s success in spite of his snafu’s off the field prove that he is able to act independently of the league, in a manner consistent with who he truly is as a person.

This is perhaps the greatest insult to those that expect athletes to be clean, polished mentors because Moss is the exact opposite of this. He is fiercely independent, disrespectful, and rude, yet none of his teammates have ever reported a problem with him. In fact, Tom Brady has actually risen to Moss’s defense several times in the past. It is only the higher powers of football that draw exception to his behavior. Though I do not advocate Randy Moss as a role model to children, I do think that Moss’s willingness to rebel against the league and its accepted modus operandi is something that we need more of.

Zachary Weisher is a Collegian columnist. He can be reached at [email protected].