When we first saw this one, we checked the calendar to make sure it wasn’t April 1.
Running back Tiki Barber, who retired after the 2006 to strike while the media iron was hot, has decided to return to the game after four years away from it, is returning to football.
Barber’s agent, Mark Lepselter, has disclosed on Twitter that Barber “has filed the papers with the NFL to officially come out of retirement.” (Reached for comment via text, Lepselter confirmed to PFT that the announcement is legit.)
Lepselter tells Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com that “there are interested parties.”
If Barber still had one or more years remaining on his contract when he retired, the Giants still hold his rights, so any “interested parties” would be tampering. Either way, the Giants would have to decide whether to keep Tiki or cut him loose, once he is reinstated by the NFL.
Barber’s media career has bottomed out; he currently works sporadically for Yahoo! Sports after leaving NBC.
Last month, Barber’s twin brother, Ronde, re-signed with the Buccaneers for a 15th season. The Barbers will turn 36 on April 7.
Despite his age, the fact that Tiki has taken no hits for the past four years should allow him to play younger. He capped his career with more than 2,000 combined rushing and receiving yards for three straight seasons.