Rachelle Washington's allegations included that Moss committed battery "causing serious injury," and that Moss refused to allow her to seek medical treatment. Washington also checked off "yes" next to inquiries on the petition whether the respondent (Moss) had a drug or alcohol problem, and claimed she had been in an "intimate relationship" with him since 1997.
The alleged incident happened while the Patriots were enjoying a bye week from the playoffs. Moss acknowledged being at Washington's home and said he has been friendly with her for 11 years, but vehemently denied the charges.
"It's hard, because of everything I've been through, mostly the negatives, off the field," he said yesterday. "It's hard for me to sit up here and say that I'm innocent. Battery - I didn't hit no woman. I've never laid my hands on a woman."
That is matter of semantics. Moss did lay his car on a woman in 2002, when a 27-year-old traffic control officer in Minneapolis tried to prevent him from making an illegal turn by standing in front of his vehicle. According to police accounts, Moss slowly pushed Amy Zaccardi along with his car for about half a block until she fell to the ground. Zaccardi was not seriously hurt.
Moss also was charged with domestic battery in 1996, following an argument with his longtime girlfriend, Libby Offutt, in which, according to published reports, he threw "steaming" hot water on her.
Newspaper accounts of the incident reported that police responded to a 911 call from a concerned neighbor and witnessed Offutt pushing Moss, and Moss pushing her back. Although both parties declined to press charges and insisted their disagreement was resolved, they were arrested. The charges were later dropped.
Moss's checkered résumé has been an issue throughout his career, enabling the Patriots to acquire him for a mere fourth-round pick last April. Yesterday, Moss asked reporters to "do their homework" regarding his latest dust-up, adding, "What I'm saying is that it's unfair to us as athletes that when a situation like this occurs, it's up to you guys to make an assumption. Is this guy or this girl telling the truth? Or are they lying?"
