LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Winston Moss will be introduced today as the coach and general manager of the Los Angeles team in the XFL after spending the past 13 seasons on the Green Bay Packers coaching staff, according to a published report.
There was no immediate response to an email sent early Tuesday to a publicist representing the team seeking comment on the Los Angeles Times report, which cited people with knowledge of the situation who spoke anonymously Monday because Moss' selection had not officially been announced.
The XFL announced last week it would hold a late-morning news conference Tuesday in downtown Los Angeles to announce the coach of the team, which is set to begin play in February at the 27,000-seat Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson.
“This is an exciting moment early on in our franchise's history,” team president Heather Brooks Karatz told City News Service on Monday. “I'm looking forward to working with coach to bring the people of Los Angeles a great and competitive football team and exceptional fan experience.”
The Packers “parted ways” with Moss on Dec. 4, two days after the firing of coach Mike McCarthy hours after a 20-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals dropped their record to 4-7-1.
“I have serve(d) the Packers with all my heart and soul,” Moss tweeted that day. “I've given it my all. No regrets!”
Moss had been Green Bay's associate head coach/linebackers coach since 2015 after being assistant head coach for six seasons. He had been the Packers linebackers coach from 2006-2008 and in 2014 and inside linebackers coach from 2009-13.
Moss coached Team Irvin in its 49-27 victory over Team Rice in the Pro Bowl in 2016 after Mike McCarthy declined to travel to Hawaii due to illness.
Moss began his coaching career in 1998 as a defensive quality control coach with the Seattle Seahawks, after ending his 11-season playing career with the Seahawks in 1997. Moss was a defensive assistant and quality control coach with the New Orleans Saints in 2000 and their linebackers coach from 2000-2005.
Moss was chosen by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the second of two second-round picks in the 1987 NFL draft after lettering four years at the University of Miami, where he was a member of the Hurricanes' first national championship team in 1983.
Moss played with the Buccaneers from 1987-90, the Los Angeles Raiders from 1991-94, leading them in tackles in 1993, and Seattle from 1995-97.
In his Twitter biography, Moss cited Psalm 23 -- generally known for its first verse, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want."
“I'm Winston Moss Sr, I'm an African American. I love America! I discourage the seven sins, I love the seven virtues, I try to live a Godly life everyday. I'm not perfect but I strive for excellence everyday. My goal is to be a shining light!” he wrote in a tweet Dec. 18.
Professional wrestling magnate Vince McMahon announced the formation of the XFL on Jan. 25, 2018, saying he would personally finance the league.
This is McMahon's second attempt at starting a pro football league. The original XFL folded after its inaugural season in 2001 after heavier than expected financial losses and disappointing television ratings. The Coliseum- based Los Angeles Xtreme won the league's championship.
The second XFL is pledging to be “football reimagined ... a game that is fast-paced, high-octane, up-tempo, with a great flow, with fewer stoppages in play or as we like to put it, `Less stall and more ball,”' Commissioner and CEO Oliver Luck said.
Luck promised ticket prices that are “significantly lower” than other professional leagues.
The XFL announced Monday that it had reached multi-year agreements with ESPN and Fox Sports to televise games, including seven Saturday and two Thursday prime-time games on Fox, 13 weekend afternoon games on ABC, and seven Sunday games on ESPN, concluding with the championship game.
Photo: Getty Images