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Updated: Oct. 26, 2006, 12:51 PM ET
Tiki torches 'idiots' for criticizing retirement decision
ESPN.com news services
[SIZE=-2]Barber[/SIZE]
Tiki Barber blasted critics of his retirement decision on his Tuesday night Sirius Satellite Radio show, "The Barber Shop."
"...I will call them idiots, because they have neither spoken to me, nor any one of my teammates or any of my coaches," Barber said. "Yet all they do is criticize me for being a distraction with this retirement thing."
Barber was specifically upset at three of his critics: the New York Daily News' Gary Myers, who wrote that Barber had "created a season-long distraction" the Giants "don't need"; and ESPN's Tom Jackson, who said the decision "has distracted the team from the task at hand," and Michael Irvin.
"To me, in my head, that's quitting," Irvin said before the Giants' 36-22 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night. "That's not retiring."
Barber singled the three out during his radio show Tuesday night.
"And that includes Gary Myers," he said. "That includes Tom Jackson on ESPN. That includes the ultimate character guy, facetiously speaking of course, Michael Irvin. Please get a clue on how to be a journalist.
"Don't make blanket assumptions about it [retirement]. And obviously, as was evidenced [Monday] night, I am a huge distraction to the New York Giants," he said.
The remarks come a week after it was first learned Barber was considering retiring after this season.
"I've been talking about retirement for years now, and it has nothing to do with being physical or money or Hall of Fame," Barber said at the time. "It's all about my desires, and for me to change them would compromise my integrity and would compromise who I am as a person and what I've always stood for."
Asked whether there was added pressure to win this year because of his plans, Barber said: "The pressure's always there, it's no different just because you guys know that I'm going to retire this year.
"I'm a diverse person," Barber said. "I have a lot of interests, and at some point it's time to execute a plan that's been in place for me for about seven and a half, eight years."
Still, Barber wouldn't commit to saying his retirement was 100 percent certain.
"It's Week 6 of the NFL season, so I won't say that," he said at the time.
However, he also said there was "nothing" that would change his mind.
Now in his 10th season, the 31-year-old Barber said that he has been banged up more this season than in any previous one and that his passion for the game has waned.
Barber, who has spoken about retiring a couple times in the past year, has a myriad interests off the field. He has worked in television and has discussed possible jobs in finance and philanthropy.
"I have a lot of interests and I've never wanted to be solely defined as a football player," said Barber, who will earn $4.15 million this season. "I wasn't that way in high school, I wasn't that way in college and I won't compromise my ideals to be that way in the National Football League."
Longtime teammate Amani Toomer believes Barber is serious about quitting after this season.
"Knowing Tiki, he is not the type of guy to just say things," Toomer said. "Whatever he says, he means."
Linebacker Brandon Short thinks the talk of Barber's will not distract the team.
"Tiki is an outstanding player and I hope he stays with the Giants and plays forever, so I can watch him play and he can help us win some championships," Short said. "Right now, our focus is the task at hand and that's the 2006 season."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Tiki torches 'idiots' for criticizing retirement decision
ESPN.com news services
Tiki Barber blasted critics of his retirement decision on his Tuesday night Sirius Satellite Radio show, "The Barber Shop."
"...I will call them idiots, because they have neither spoken to me, nor any one of my teammates or any of my coaches," Barber said. "Yet all they do is criticize me for being a distraction with this retirement thing."
Barber was specifically upset at three of his critics: the New York Daily News' Gary Myers, who wrote that Barber had "created a season-long distraction" the Giants "don't need"; and ESPN's Tom Jackson, who said the decision "has distracted the team from the task at hand," and Michael Irvin.
"To me, in my head, that's quitting," Irvin said before the Giants' 36-22 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night. "That's not retiring."
Barber singled the three out during his radio show Tuesday night.
"And that includes Gary Myers," he said. "That includes Tom Jackson on ESPN. That includes the ultimate character guy, facetiously speaking of course, Michael Irvin. Please get a clue on how to be a journalist.
"Don't make blanket assumptions about it [retirement]. And obviously, as was evidenced [Monday] night, I am a huge distraction to the New York Giants," he said.
The remarks come a week after it was first learned Barber was considering retiring after this season.
"I've been talking about retirement for years now, and it has nothing to do with being physical or money or Hall of Fame," Barber said at the time. "It's all about my desires, and for me to change them would compromise my integrity and would compromise who I am as a person and what I've always stood for."
Asked whether there was added pressure to win this year because of his plans, Barber said: "The pressure's always there, it's no different just because you guys know that I'm going to retire this year.
"I'm a diverse person," Barber said. "I have a lot of interests, and at some point it's time to execute a plan that's been in place for me for about seven and a half, eight years."
Still, Barber wouldn't commit to saying his retirement was 100 percent certain.
"It's Week 6 of the NFL season, so I won't say that," he said at the time.
However, he also said there was "nothing" that would change his mind.
Now in his 10th season, the 31-year-old Barber said that he has been banged up more this season than in any previous one and that his passion for the game has waned.
Barber, who has spoken about retiring a couple times in the past year, has a myriad interests off the field. He has worked in television and has discussed possible jobs in finance and philanthropy.
"I have a lot of interests and I've never wanted to be solely defined as a football player," said Barber, who will earn $4.15 million this season. "I wasn't that way in high school, I wasn't that way in college and I won't compromise my ideals to be that way in the National Football League."
Longtime teammate Amani Toomer believes Barber is serious about quitting after this season.
"Knowing Tiki, he is not the type of guy to just say things," Toomer said. "Whatever he says, he means."
Linebacker Brandon Short thinks the talk of Barber's will not distract the team.
"Tiki is an outstanding player and I hope he stays with the Giants and plays forever, so I can watch him play and he can help us win some championships," Short said. "Right now, our focus is the task at hand and that's the 2006 season."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Who is Tiki to call the beloved Playmaker an "idiot". Very unprofessional from my judgement!
