Randy Moss receiving hate mail for HOF tie

Newly inducted Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss said hundreds of pieces of hate mail greeted him upon his return from Canton, Ohio, this week.

Moss wore a tie listing the names of a dozen black men and women killed by police and was congratulated by dozens of NFL and NBA players for the statement.

But Moss told The Undefeated that "150 to 200 messages" equating to hate mail also found its way to him.

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"The black community praised me and thanked me for shedding light on African-Americans dying," Moss told The Undefeated. "Then on the flip side, you've got sites where people are slamming me, saying, 'Hey, (racial epithet), stay in your place.'

"All of this hate mail I'm getting for wearing a tie and talking about the truth. But I can handle it because I've been dealing with racism my whole life."

Moss said he decided in February to make the statement on stage in Canton during his induction ceremony speech. The point, said Moss, was to attempt to unite, not divide.

"We've got to admit to the problem. Everybody," Moss told the website. "What if black police officers around the country were going up in these white neighborhoods with rich white kids and started killing them? What would people say about that?

"A lot of people just don't want to really talk about what's going on."

The issues of racial equality and police brutality helped spark Colin Kaepernick to silently protest by kneeling during the national anthem in 2016 and several other NFL players have followed suit. NBA players have worn T-shirts in pregame with the names of victims and related messages.

--Field Level Media