It’s likely you’ve heard some questionable comments from New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley over the past 48 hours. They’re unflattering and paint the two-time Pro Bowler in an ugly light.
In order to refresh your memory, here are the quotes from Barkley that have gone viral:
“My leverage is I could say, ‘(Expletive) you’ to the Giants, I could say, ‘(Expletive) you to my teammates,'” Barkley said on an episode of The Money Matters. “And be like, ‘You want me to show you my worth? You want me to show you how valuable I am to the team? I won’t show up. I won’t play a down.’ And that’s a play I could use.”
That certainly sounds ugly as a stand-alone comment but context matters.
Barkley made these comments nearly two weeks ago, long before he and the Giants were unable to come to terms on a long-term agreement. The interview itself wasn’t posted on YouTube until this past Monday. A lot has happened since then.
Additionally, the viral comments deliberately leave out the rest of Barkley’s commentary. And the fact is, everything else Barkley had to say is equally as important as the hypothetical “(expletive) you” that garners the most clicks.
“Anybody (who) knows me, knows that’s not something I want to do,” Barkley said of sitting out the season. “Is it something that’s crossed my mind? I never thought I would ever do that, but now I’m at a point where I’m like, ‘Jesus, I might have to take it to this level.’ Am I prepared to take it to this level? I don’t know.”
Barkley added that he’d like to let emotions cool before making such a rash decision. But ultimately, he didn’t sound like a player ready to toss his teammates under the bus or risk sullying his legacy. From a business standpoint, he understands that winning in New York would alleviate any financial concerns he has over playing on the $10.1 million franchise tag.
“I can try to get as much money as I can, but what really matters is winning. I know if I’m able to help bring a championship to New York, that’s going to go miles more ahead than this contract,” Barkley added.
There were other key takeaways swept under the rug from Barkley’s interview. Here’s another comment that should have gone viral ahead of the one that did:
“I wouldn’t say I’m not happy,” Barkley said. “Where I’m thrown off, or it doesn’t sit right with me, is I came out publicly and said that I want to be a Giant for life. . . I didn’t want to hit the free-agency market. I feel like we could’ve got the job done.”
Contract negotiations are business, not personal. Of course, that’s easy to say when you’re not involved and you have your worth questioned. But, again, that led to another Barkley comment that should have gone viral over the one that did.
The superstar back isn’t ready to waste a prime year of his career squabbling over a couple of million dollars. Instead, he sounds motivated to go out in 2023 and prove to the Giants and the rest of the NFL that the position should still be valued and he’s the best in the league at it.
“If I do have to go on the field and prove and play again,” Barkley said. “I’m fine with that.”
The whole thing doesn’t sound quite as ominous when viewed in the full context, does it?
