Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Jimmy Traina

Tiki Barber Comes Out Winner in Feud With Saquon Barkley

Saquon Barkley Tiki Barber Kirk Cousins Russell Wilson ESPN Giants Greg Gumbel NFL Shannon Sharpe Stephen A Smith

1. We had quite a kerfuffle here in New York on Monday after running back Saquon Barkley agreed to a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles.

With Barkley leaving for a division rival, former Giant and current WFAN host, Tiki Barber, said the following during his afternoon show: "He's dead to us now. He's dead to us. You're dead to us, Saquon. Good luck. You're dead to me."

Now, when you see those words in print, they seem extremely rough. However, when you watch the video of Barber saying this, it's more than clear he's kidding around and his tongue is firmly planted in his cheek while having fun about a star player leaving for a bitter rival.

Clearly, Barkley saw a bunch of tweets that blared, "Tiki Barber says Saquon Barkley is dead to Giants fans." instead of actually watching the video, because Barkley ripped Barber on Twitter.

This is a win for Barber on multiple fronts. 

First, Barkley comes off as super sensitive here. He literally just signed a $38-million deal and he's fighting with people on Twitter. 

Second, as I said, it's apparent Barkley just reacted to a headline instead of listening to the context.

Third, it makes zero sense for Barkley to accuse Barber of being a "hater." Zero. Just look what Barber has said about Barkley over the years.

Sorry, Saquon. That's not a hater.

Lastly, any time a sports talk radio host can get a reaction from an athlete, whether it’s positive or negative, is a win for the radio host. When you host a show, whether it’s on TV, radio, podcast, whatever, all you want it attention. Barkley gave Barber a lot of attention on Monday.

2. CBS and Turner Sports announced their broadcast crews for the upcoming NCAA tournament.

Before we get to that, there is one piece of studio news. Greg Gumbel will miss the Tournament while dealing with a family matter Ernie Johnson and Adam Zucker will fill in for Gumbel. 

Here are the broadcast pairings for the Tournament:

Ian Eagle-Bill Raftery-Grant Hill
Brian Anderson-Jim Jackson
Kevin Harlan-Dan Bonner-Stan Van Gundy
Andrew Catalon-Steve Lappas
Lisa Byington-Steve Smith-Robbie Hummel
Spero Dedes-Jim Spanarkel
Tom McCarthy-Deb Antonelli-Avery Johnson
Brad Nessler-Brendan Haywood

3. People really love making Kohl's Cash jokes about Kirk Cousins. Like, really, really love to do it. Here's what happened after Cousins got a $180 million contract from the Falcons on Monday.

4. ESPN's Kimberley Martin took issue with Shannon Sharpe comparing Russell Wilson to a "fine chick" who is available on Monday's First Take.

Here's Sharpe's analogy, which certainly didn't land well.

5. If you're an NBA bettor, this is trend you'll want to be aware of.

6. The latest episode of SI Media With Jimmy Traina features a conversation with ESPN legend Bob Ley.

Ley shares memories of NFL reporter Chris Mortensen, who passed away last week, and explains why Mort was so special to so many people.

Ley also weighs in on the state of sports media, whether he feels he got out at the right time when he retired in 2019, ESPN's addition of Pat McAfee and how Stephen A. Smith gets the "Jordan Rules" treatment.

Ley also explains why cutting the cord was one of the first things he did when he retired, how he keeps up with the day-to-day sports news and what he’s been doing in retirement. Ley, who is a New York Mets fan, also finds out during the podcast that the Mets will have a dance team this year, which generated quite a response.

Following Ley, Sal Licata from WFAN and SNY joins Jimmy for the weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week’s topics include functioning without football, the NFL combine, muting people on Twitter, A&E’s great shows on WWE history, the passing of comedian Richard Lewis and more.

You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Google.

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Sports Illustrated’s YouTube channel.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Mufasa: The Lion King review – technically dazzling Disney origin story lacks soul
Moonlight director Barry Jenkins’s all-action tale boasts uncanny CGI effects and songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, ​​but the screenplay is schmaltzy and derivative
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
How to watch or stream Sunday’s Week 16 games of the NFL’s 2024-2025 football season live, online, and free without cable
It’s a holiday feast of football!
Fortune
Fortune
Tina Fey and Tom Hanks among stars to induct Martin Short into Saturday Night Live's Five-Timers Club
Tom Hanks, Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin and Scarlett Johansson were among the stars to induct Martin Short into the 'Saturday Night Live' Five-Timers Club on Saturday (21.12.24).
BANG Premier
BANG Premier
FDA restricts psychoactive mushroom used in some edibles
The regulator warned food manufacturers that Amanita muscaria –  more commonly known as the fly agaric – and the compounds it contains are not authorized to use
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
“I go to church every Sunday when I’m home. Especially now I’ve replaced the booze with glue”: From GN’R and Pantera to Ozzy Osbourne and God, Zakk Wylde is the most connected man in rock
It’s Zakk Wylde’s world - we just live in it
Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer
My husband and I tried the Scandi Sleep Method and love it — 3 reasons you will too
We avoided a sleep divorce thanks to the Scandinavian Sleep Method, but will it work for you too? Three telltale signs that it will...
Tom’s Guide
Tom’s Guide
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play