In the wake of his online altercation with Tiki Barber, Saquon Barkley has acknowledged that he might have handled his release from the New York Giants better.
Favorite by the fans, Barkley has expressed a desire to play all of his NFL career with the Giants. But everyone was caught off guard when he abruptly signed a three-year, $37.75 million (£29.7 million) contract to play for their NFC East rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles.
Barkley’s choice was met with criticism by Barber, who declared, “You’re dead to me,” after Barkley validated his move on social media with two Eagles emojis. During his NFL career, Barber solely played for the Giants, despite his own contentious 2007 departure from the team.
On social media, Barkley first replied to Barber with the following: “@TikiBarber lol yup you’re the prime example of loyalty to a team.” After settling into his new position, he later took down the post and thanked the Giants in a statement.
In his first press conference as an Eagle, Barkley said, “To the Giants fans that were hurt by my leaving, I have nothing but respect for all those guys.” They have been kind to me and my family over the past six years and have helped us make a ton of memories.
“I don’t think I really handled it the right way on social media. I think I could’ve given a proper goodbye. Like I said, once I announced it, everything kinda got hectic. But I am forever grateful for the Giants fans and so thankful for them. But unfortunately, the NFL is a business.”
