Saquon Barkley doesn’t begrudge unhappy football fans for booing their team. But heckling injured players crosses a line in his view. That’s what provoked the running back to shout back at a fan in Miami who was jeering Daniel Jones while the Giants quarterback was being checked for a neck injury Sunday.
Barkley explained his behavior to reporters Thursday in response to a video posted to X (formerly Twitter) of him yelling at a fan from the sideline. The person who posted the video wrote that Barkley, who’s currently sidelined by an ankle injury, was “beefing with fans on the sidelines,” a notion the six-year veteran disputed.
“You have a fan just ‘motherf---ing’ him. That just doesn’t sit well with me,” Barkley told reporters after practice, per the New York Post. "He’s helpless. He can’t do nothing.”
Saquon beefing with fans on the sidelines lol pic.twitter.com/4S0heW4BLP
— Danny Dimes🪙 To Hyatt🍊 (@BallsDeepInYm3) October 8, 2023
Barkley responded to the post, acknowledging that Giants players’ criticism of fans has been a sensitive topic in light of teammate Evan Neal's condescending remarks about “fair-weather” supporters.
“Stop reaching and trying to make it a me vs fans thing,” Barkley wrote. ‘“Im not gonna just sit there and not say anything while you talk crazy to 8 after he just got hurt… buddy knew he was in the wrong.”
Stop reaching and trying to make it a me vs fans thing I’m not gonna just sit there and not say anything while you talk crazy to 8 after he just got hurt… buddy knew he was in the wrong https://t.co/YvHYAtFdKn
— Saquon Barkley (@saquon) October 9, 2023
“I get it. I was a fan of football before,” Barkley told reporters. “That’s not in my makeup. That’s not in my character to boo and do stuff like that. But, fans, if you don’t like the product that we’re doing out there—we got to give them a product to be happy about.”
The Giants go into Week 6’s matchup against the Bills with a 1–4 record. It’s uncertain whether Barkley will play, but New York coach Brian Daboll ruled Jones out Friday morning.
