Fowler Wasn't In On Moss Deal

As the shock of the blockbuster Randy Moss trade begins to fade, the questions now turn to what Reggie Fowler knew and when he knew it.

In the aftermath of the Randy Moss trade, the speculation turned from why did the Vikings do it to whether or not Reggie Fowler signed off on the deal.

VU has been told the answer to the second speculation is "no" -- which has some people around the league shaking their heads. The matter has been compared to someone buying a house, completing a purchase agreement and, before moving in, the previous owner tears down the garage.

Yet, that appears to be the case. A Twin Cities TV station reached Fowler at his home Wednesday and when asked for a reaction, Fowler said that "it was the first he had heard of it" and hung up.

From the other side, VU has been told that the Moss deal was part of the ongoing process of preparing for the 2005 offseason and that, as owner, McCombs wasn't bound to include Fowler in the plans.

Yet, if a guy's going to plunk down $625 million for a team, he should at least be given the option of keeping the players he wants. Will this affect the purchase agreement? Probably not. But it is a troubling sign -- whether you think the deal indicates the Vikings aren't confident Fowler's bid will go through and are going on with business as usual or that they didn't care enough to let the new owner at least have his voice heard when it came to trading away a franchise player.