12/22/24
March 08, 2011
Tiki Barber Unretires from Football: Former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber has notified the NFL that he's coming out of retirement to play in the 2011 season. Barber, 35, retired in 2007 after 10 seasons as the Giants' all-time leading rusher. He was reportedly making $300,000 a year on NBC as a sports reporter before being fired last year after leaving his eight-months-pregnant wife for a 23-year-old NBC intern.
Here's a play-by-play of me reading this post:
1st Sentence: What? Tiki Barber? Really?
2nd Sentence: Yeah, I though he retired like five years ago.
3rd Sentence: Oooooooh. Now I get it.
posted by Rock Steady at 05:33 PM on March 08, 2011
Hopefully the league will force him to sign with Al Davis / Pacific Purgatory.
The part I like best about this is that about a year after he retired and transitioned to his broadcast job, Tiki was asked about his brother Ronde.
His condescending response was that yeah, his brother was still in the league.
"He has to keep playing. He needs the money."
posted by beaverboard at 05:46 PM on March 08, 2011
All I remember is how critical he was of the Giants after he retired. The Giants that won the Super Bowl the year AFTER he retired.
posted by graymatters at 05:51 PM on March 08, 2011
Does he plan to play in 2011? Is there going to be a season in 2011?
Actually I expect there will be but I would be willing to bet an old undersized running back who's team did not win a SB until after he left will not make any current team unless of course it is as a scab player in a lockout year.
I guess his broadcasting/show business career did not pan out as he planned.
When you get fired from a show business job due to morality issues, it's pretty bad. I mean look what Charlie Sheen had to do to get fired in that business. The NFL has a much tougher conduct policy.
posted by Atheist at 05:57 PM on March 08, 2011
I suspect he was fired because he wasn't very good at the job and the morality clause was just the most convenient way of doing it without owing severance.
posted by feloniousmonk at 07:03 PM on March 08, 2011
... look what Charlie Sheen had to do to get fired in that business.
I read somewhere this week during coverage of the Sheenocalypse that he had no morals clause in his contracts. Winning!
posted by rcade at 08:22 PM on March 08, 2011
Fuck Tiki Barber and the team that signs him.
posted by phaedon at 08:52 PM on March 08, 2011
Tiki should have listened to Ben and Brett...you don't actually start a relationship with the girl. What was he thinking?
Coming out of retirement after 4 years? Hard to believe that's going to work out.
posted by dviking at 09:05 PM on March 08, 2011
Wait, wasn't this a movie?
posted by lil_brown_bat at 09:30 PM on March 08, 2011
This always ends well. And just in time for the lockout.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 10:34 PM on March 08, 2011
Hmm ..must be the liitle head making the decisions
posted by cixelsyd at 12:07 AM on March 09, 2011
posted by rcade at 08:40 AM on March 09, 2011
If he is willing to come in as a 2nd back, I can see him being decent. He will get 10-15 carries a game. He was always in good shapoe and hasnt taken a beating for a few years. Using an older back in the right way can really help a team. Ask the Jets about LT.
posted by Debo270 at 09:51 AM on March 09, 2011
Tiki Barber is no LT.
posted by Atheist at 10:35 AM on March 09, 2011
Barber is probably one of those players, at this stage in his career, that is more trouble than he is worth. He is a prima donna and would create drama on the team with his teammates and coach. Then, he started bashing the Giants and Manning as soon as he retired. If he was at the peak of his career, he would be worth it.
posted by bperk at 10:42 AM on March 09, 2011
But if there is a lock out and scabs are brought out to play a few games, he'd make a hell of a scab.
posted by Joey Michaels at 01:45 PM on March 09, 2011
posted by yerfatma at 04:54 PM on March 09, 2011
It will be interesting to see what Tiki has left in the tank; I forgot what a monster year he had in 2007, and think he'd make a good second-string back on any number of teams, assuming he's fit enough. I can't imagine him getting enough touches with the Giants at this point, unless one of Bradshaw or Jacobs is out.
I always liked Tiki as a runner, however it turns out Tiki the person is kind of a dick.