I'm not sure how or why it went down, but Randy Moss was just cut from the Minnesota Vikings. The surprising move by the team takes place less than a month after he was acquired from the New England Patriots. The Vikings had just taken a tough loss at the hands of the Patriots, who defeated them 28 - 18.

The Vikings must pay Moss $1.5 million of Moss' $6.4 million annual salary. If another team picks him up, they will be expected to pay the rest. It's hard to imagine why the Vikings would cut Moss, who is one of the most talented receivers in NFL history. But the team was expected to make moves, given that this season has not gone well for them. The Vikings are now 2 - 5, and their star quarterback is hobbling on his last legs. Quarterback Brett Favre went down with a chin laceration after enduring serious ankle problems from the prior game. It's all turning out to be a big mess.

Seeing Randy Moss get released by the Vikings really made me wonder if this is the end of an era. The wide receiver who came into the league and torched the 18 teams who passed him up in the draft is now a 33-year old man who probably doesn't have the speed and jumping ability he once possessed. Moss still has a few years of play left in him, but the NFL does horrible wear and tear to your body, so I don't expect his final years to be all that productive.

If Moss doesn't redeem himself soon, he may end up in No Man's Land, along with other previously great players like Allen Iverson. One can speculate that with Moss' talent level, he'd only be cut so abruptly if he had some kind of serious attitude or disciplinary problem. The bad boy image doesn't work so well in your mid-thirties, and his heyday may be over. I hope he's been saving his money.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.