Randy Moss wears tie during Hall of Fame speech as tribute to slain African-Americans

Lindsay H. Jones | USA TODAY

The speeches at Saturday’s Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony were largely apolitical Saturday night, but new inductee Randy Moss found a subtle way to deliver an important message.

Moss, the first-ballot receiver who played for the Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers, had the names of a dozen black men and women who had been killed by police printed in gold letters on his black tie. The names were partially obscured beneath his gold jacket during his 17-minute speech, but he opened his jacket to reveal the names in subsequent interviews.

“What I wanted to express with my tie was to let these families know they’re not alone,” Moss said in an interview on NFL Network. “I’m not here voicing, but by [having] these names on my tie, in a big platform like the Pro Football Hall of Fame, there’s a lot of stuff going on in our country and I just wanted these family members to know they’re not alone.”

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