Saquon Barkley is taking in the Philadelphia atmosphere, but he isn’t 100% able to avoid the wrath of the New York faithful.
The 2018 No. 2 overall pick signed a three-year deal with the Eagles after spending six seasons with the New York Giants.
The running back was on the record for saying he wanted to be a lifelong Giant, prompting hate on social media. It should be noted that the Giants did not even offer Barkley a contract and released him when they could have franchise-tagged him.
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A.J. Brown and Saquon Barkley attends the game between the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers during Round 1, Game 6 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on May 2, 2024, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
But fandom doesn’t always have to make sense, and Giants fans are still livid (while also saying he isn’t worth what Philly paid him anyway).
Well, Barkley took in Game 6 between the 76ers and Knicks at Wells Fargo Center with his new teammate A.J. Brown, and despite the Sixers’ owners buying 2,000 tickets for local first responders and community groups, Knicks fans (and evidently, Giants fans) were able to crash the party.
And when Barkley was faintly booed by the New Yorkers, he seemed a bit surprised.
“It’s been two months… lol no way ya can still be this mad! Mf can’t even go to a basketball game,” Barkley posted on X shortly after the game ended.
A user replied that he “bailed” and now need to “reap the whirlwind,” but Barkley defended himself.
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley speaks during a press conference after signing with the team. (Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports)
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“Let me educate some of you fans here… I can’t bail or become a traitor if I never got an offer to come back.. so I went to the organization I felt that was the best and after already being here for a month man I’m excited to be a eagle ! Go birds”
This wasn’t the first time Barkley needed to plead his case – when Giants all-time rusher Tiki Barber said Barkley was “dead” to him, he snapped.
“@TikiBarber lol yup you’re the prime example of loyalty to a team,” Barkley wrote on X, adding that Barber had been a “hater since I got to New York.”
“I got the deal I wanted, secured more [guaranteed money] which wasn’t given to me before… so if fans are gonna hate me for that so be it! But I never turned my back on my teammates and always had theirs.”
Philadelphia Eagle’s Saquon Barkley talks to the media during a press conference after signing with the NFL football team, Thursday, March 14, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Barkley later apologized for playing the villain upon his departure.
Despite the Sixers loss, which brought the Knicks to the second round of the playoffs, Barkley said that the game “got me geeked for homes [sic] games at the linc.”
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