Tiki Barber described as “devastated” and “flabbergasted”

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The NFL season is about to start, and Tiki Barber still doesn’t have a team. To Barber, that comes as a shock.

Barber, the former Giants star who wanted to get back to the NFL after four years away at the age of 36, hasn’t drawn any interest as teams are finalizing their 53-man rosters for Week 1. According to Peter King of SI.com, Barber is stunned.

King writes in this week’s Monday Morning Quarterback that Barber declined to speak to him, but that King hears Barber is devastated that no team gave him a chance.

Barber’s agent, Mark Lepselter, told King that he expected Barber to be an NFL player right now.

“We are flabbergasted that Tiki has not had an opportunity with any team, especially when rosters were at 90 players this year. I certainly thought some team would be intrigued to see what he had left in the tank,” Lepselter said.

It’s still possible that some team could suffer an injury at running back in Week 1 and give Barber a call in Week 2. But at this point, it appears that Barber’s NFL career is over.

151 responses to “Tiki Barber described as “devastated” and “flabbergasted”

  1. Lesson learned to all other other potential Sh!t head players on there way out !!

    I you don’t have anything nice to say ………………..

  2. Devastated and flabbergasted: What a team would have to be to pick up Tiki.

    Why: Old for a second start particularly at a rough and tumble spot like running back, arrogant, distraction in the locker room, questionable character, need I go on?

  3. If he’s flabbergasted no one want’s a 36 y/o RB who’se been on the shelf for 4 years, he’s out of touch with reality. Nuff said.

  4. you expect a guy who left the NFL 4 years ago, is 36 now, to get signed? its not like he was Smith, or Walter, or Sanders. He was Tiki, the guy who fumbled almost every game.

  5. I don’t know why he is devestated. He is 36, has been out of the NFL for a long time and will get a guarenteeded salary from any team that signs him if he is on the week 1 roser.

  6. wow. what an ego. he has been out of football for 4 year and is 36. How can he possibly be surprised?

  7. If he really is surprised then he isn’t as smart as he thinks he is.

    Would he play for the vet minimum? Even then, teams would save money by playing a younger, hungrier guy.

    Rather than ask, “why wouldn’t they want to see what I have left?” Tiki should be asking, “why would any team bother with a guy my age who has been away for so long?”

  8. When you throw teammates under the bus, word gets around…camraderie is a big part of building unity and cohesion. Barber’s act grew tired…not even the Jets were taking a chance.

    bye Tiki.

  9. Why would anyone sign him and have on the roster opening day? That would guarantee his entire salary and for a guy whos been out for years(and is a locker room cancer) that would be stupid. Tiki should be smart enough to know that. Karma tiki. Look it up.

  10. “Barber is devastated that no team gave him a chance”.

    He retired more than 4 years ago. What did he expect?

    He had a workout with the Dolphins and if they thought he still had something “left in the tank” they would have signed him last month.

  11. You reap what you sow, Tiki. Should have kept your big mouth shut, because no team is going to want, let alone trust, someone who openly bashed their former team and their teammates, just to get ahead in their new gig as a TV analyst. I won’t even get into the intern, but oh wait…..you already got into the intern, didn’t you?

  12. I’m flabbergasted that he even thought he’d get a shot at 36 when EOL for RBs is at 30. No team wants to guarantee the salary of an old RB who hasn’t strapped up in 4 years.

  13. I can’t imagine why any team wouldn’t want a 36 year old running back who at best would be the third option on the team, won’t play special teams, and is a general cancer to just about anything he touches (for examples please see NY Giants, NBC, and his marriage) when you could have someone like 26 year old Lynell Hamilton or any number of undrafted free agent running backs who are younger, faster, humbler, and cheaper. That does stump me.

    Tiki, that ringing you hear is the Clue phone. Its been ringing for a few years now. Might want to pick it up at some point.

  14. Funny, “devastated” and “flabbergasted” would be the same words I’d describe myself if Tiki had actually landed a roster spot.

  15. This guy is a total moron… of course no team will look at him… he bailed on the loyal giants in his prime… to try tv no less …. and failed miserably… even frying his former teamates… what an idiot… go away Tiki… nobody cares about you anymore..

  16. Perhaps most teams were turned off from his on-air treatment of his former teammates. Or the fact that he comes across as an elitist.

  17. A 36 year old running back who hasn’t played in 4 years just doesn’t make sense for an NFL team. Add the fact that he’s a potential distraction and is seen by some as a “me” guy, and that’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

  18. Tiki is not very smart if he is flabbergasted by this. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize why a 36 yr old fumble prone player who quit on his team and left them hanging by retiring would be unemployed. Then he followed that up with being unfaithful and leaving his pregnant wife…wow…dude is a grade a douche bag and he is surprised he’s out of work…

    In other news the sky is blue…

  19. What did Tiki really expect? He was both an NFL player and a memeber of the media. Im some guy in New Jersey and I even I knew a 36 year old RB isnt going to receive a chance. How did he NOT know?

  20. hmmm, let’s see

    old check
    diva check
    questionable character check

    seems like teams gave him a look as a favor to his agent who may have other players on their team. if he had a legitimate shot, he would’ve been in camp with a team.

  21. Kind of like his wife felt when she was pregnant with twins and he was cheating on her. Tiki, the only thing you’re qualified to do is run the carnival dart game down at the Jersey Shore. “Step right Up!”

  22. Tiki Barber described as “devastated” and “flabbergasted”…At what?? because no team want to take a chance on a 36 year old running back that has been out of football for 5 years and have attitude problems. Man there are 30 year old backs looking for work…Get over your self Tiki!!

  23. You would think that teams would be dying to sign a 36 year old halfback who is a divisive force in the locker room and will likely toss the Front Office and all 53 guys under the bus 5 minutes after he retires.

  24. Teams are going young. Especially since they came out of this negotiation.

    Veterans didn’t realize that teams will spend their money on 2nd contracts and not 3rd and 4th contracts.

    Rookies have the scale, the money will be on the 2nd contract and guys will really have to prove they are worth a 3rd or a 4th.

    The list of older players will continue to grow.

  25. The NFL is telling Tiki what he can’t seem to accept.. It’s time to hang it up.

    Maybe him, Mark Brunell, Carson Palmer, and Derrick Mason can start the poor widdle millionaires club.

    Dontcha just love it when some of the luckiest people on the planet whine and gripe like they have some kind of real problem? Get over it.

  26. “We are flabbergasted that Tiki has not had an opportunity with any team…”

    You’re the only two.

  27. Ha. If Tiki had dumped his wife and twin boys for some young broad when he was at the top of his game in the NFL, no one in the league would’ve given a crap.

    But he’s so dumb, he cuts off his career to go on a crappy morning show where the viewership is 90% women, and THEN dumps his wife. Not too bright.

  28. He does not realize that he is just a 36 year old run-a-round and not a running back anymore !

  29. hahahahhaha good. thats what he gets for quitting on the Giants, who won the Superbowl the next year by the way. Never saw an NFL player whine as much as Tiki did. I’d rather have Moss or TO in my locker room than this punk.
    He wasn’t good as a broadcaster either so now what?

  30. There’s enough out of work young running backs. Running back has become a dime a dozen in the NFL. Teams are learning that for the most part, if your line opens up holes, any back is going to find them that’s worth a crap. Don’t need a has been when you can use a haven’t been yet and make them a star.

  31. You mean there’s not a market for a 36-year old RB who’s been out of the league for four years? I’m shocked and flabbergasted!

  32. No clearer sign that Tiki is beyond arrogant than this. Let’s ignore that Tiki is a self-entitled, me first, locker room cancer of a player. That Tiki doesn’t recognize that isn’t surprising because you need some sense of self-inspection and humility to do so. What’s “flabbergasting” is Tiki and his agent don’t realize there is no market for 36 year old RBs. Period. Never mind a market for a 36 year old RB who hasn’t played in four years.

    Put it in perspective. Last year the oldest RBs on any roster were 34 (Fred Taylor and Kevin Faulk). The oldest player in the league to rush 30 times in a game was John Riggins at 36. John Riggins at 36 is also the oldest player to rush for 100 yards in a game and score a TD. The most rushing attempts by any RB after the age of 35 is 537 by Marcus Allen. Any player (or agent) with even the slightest awareness of league history would have known this was a tall order.

    Old RBs just don’t happen in this league. Heck, they rarely ever happened, never mind in a league that now thinks 30 is too old for a RB.

  33. Uh, hey Tiki? Maybe you should check your ego at the door and carry yourself as an undrafted rookie would rather than a spoiled, entitled a-hole. You are 36, four years out of the game and you expected to be on a roster? Arrogant fool.

  34. That’s the exact way his wife felt when he told her he was leaving her pregnant with the kids for a little young blonde tart.

  35. Almost sounds like he thinks the NFL owes him a job. How anybody would be “intrigued” to see what an old, out of shape guy would have to offer when there young, hungry running backs all over the place is mystifying.

  36. ICDogg says:Sep 5, 2011 7:25 AM

    (Breaking into chorus of “God Is Trying To Tell You Something”)

    ——————————————————-

    My wife was wondering why I was laughing for a solid 5 minutes before I let her see this post. She loves the “Color Purple”

  37. “Devastated” and “flabbergasted” are two words that can describe how a woman should feel if her husband leaves her when she’s 8 months pregnant with twins. Forget any gas left in the tank, Tiki needs to fill up on some self awareness.

  38. And to think, all this guy had to do was stick around N.Y. for one more year and he would have got his S.B. ring. And I thought I made bad decisions. Well, atleast there’s always broadcasting.

  39. Shocked? This is called accountability….. you cant be a average to sightly above average running back and “retire”, talk crap on you ex team mates (Eli M.), screw around on your wife and kids, and then waltz back in without some humility. What a card…. No one else is shocked. With the abundance of you running backs out there, most all of us would be shocked if he were signed……by ANY team.

  40. Excuse me while I shed a tear for an arrogant, pompous, diva athlete who burned every bridge possible on his way out the door. How are things looking from the other side Tiki?

  41. Maybe Tiki and Houshmanzadah can get a place together. Two guys that learned the hard way that you can’t go through life being a complete a- hole to everyone.

  42. He obviously needs money. He has an ex wife and four kids to take care of. He is now with a young blonde who he asked to marry him recently. And because of that young tramp he lost his NBC job. This guy is toxic, no one wants any part of him. It’s actually sad to see how he has fallen.

  43. Hey Tiki , your brother Ronde is a class act and you not so much.There is always the UFL or Even the Arena League options . So don’t give up yet Tiki. You may just have to take what you can get!

  44. Tiki has to realize he once was a running back now he is just a 36 year old run-a-round !

  45. Tiki Barber’s ego-flotilla has sunk. He must now swim back to the Island of Forgotten Running Backs. Wave goodbye to the USS NFL as it sails off into the horizon.

  46. Tiki
    Eli needs someone to wash his car
    that is as close are your going to get to the NFL

    The only problem is you would drop the sponge

  47. Tiki, have you tried the NFL Network? They hire just about anyone… Oh and congrats on the upcoming nuptuals! Karma, it’s a b***h, isn’t it?
    What a DB…

  48. I’d be devasted and flabbergasted if my team signed him.

    Did you know the jokers at EA gave him an 83 overall in Madden 12? That means he’s the best F/A RB in the game.

    lol

  49. His wife was eight months pregnant with twins when he dumped her. All Tiki thinks about is Tiki.

  50. He fumbled 44 times in 154 games.
    He fumbled around bad mouthing Coughlin and Eli, before they won a Super Bowl.
    He fumbled as a broadcaster.
    He fumbled with a 20 year old while married.

    Poor hands. Poor judgment.

    Wonder what his biggest regret is.
    Failed marriage?
    Failed broadcast career?
    Decision to quit just before his team wins the Super Bowl?

  51. 1. you’re old

    2. unless you will play for vet min no ones gonna want to pay you

    3. you’re a complete d-bag that bad mouths (ex) teammates, and im sure it would be new teammates when you dont get what you want for playing time

    this makes me happy, i loved tiki as a giant but he couldnt keep his mouth closed. good riddance

  52. We can still smell the embers smoldering from the bridges he burned on the way out the door and he’s scratching his head why the phone isn’t ringing?
    What a suckhead.

  53. That’s what happens to people who think their so smart, that they out smart themselves out of a job. Tiki, you’re old and you’ve burned your bridges. Go get a real job with deal lines and benchmarks to achieve. please don’t tell me, that you’ve already burned through all your millions(money). Say it so, you’re a superior intellect.

  54. Even though I don’t respect Tiki Barber as person, before he left to pursue a broadcast career 4 years ago, he was one of the best running backs in the game. I don’t care how old he is. In 2006 he ran for damn near 1,700 yards and about 500 yards receiving. If I’m a team like the Dolphins, Bills or Seahawks etc, I’m calling Tiki right now to see what he has left.

  55. Tiki leaving before the Giants won the Super Bowl is a big reason why they won! I don’t think the Giants could have made that run with him there as a distraction.

  56. If he is looking for sympathy he can fid it in the dictionary between Super Bowl and synonymous !

  57. This guy needs to get a clue! He quit on his team (they won the SB the year after), and he followed that up by trashing his team in the media. In other words, he should have sense enough to know that he burnt too many bridges. Who in thier right mind would give him a shot?

  58. I guess when you live your life totally for yourself and have a failed tv career, you go back to what you love second to yourself. You know what karma is you self absorbed POS!

  59. Pretty hard to build on what everyone has said, because it’s all true.

    Sorry, Tiki…..in spite of having Peter King in your corner, you can’t escape the fact that you’re an extremely bitter man who now has a boatload of regrets to live with.

    You were an overrated, me-first, lockerroom cancer who slagged your teammates and your coach…..too bad your massive ego is telling you to be ‘devastated’ and ‘flabbergasted’…..trying being HUMBLE for once.

    Et, tu? Tiki?

  60. Dolphins signed Larry Johnson over Tiki. They have no problems with getting head cases in miami (ex. Marshal) so that tells you the wheels have fallen off.

  61. What does Tiki expect, when a guy like Brian Westbrook, who is 5 years younger, played last season, has much more left in the tank than Tiki does, and has been a model citizen his whole career, can’t find a job?

  62. opportunity? Funny choice of words.

    Seems like the Giants won their Ring the year AFTER you QUIT!! What comes around……

  63. Couldn’t happen to a more deserving guy.

    I’ll always be a big fan of Ronde Barber. But Tiki is one of those few athletes that I truly hate.

    Even most guys who I don’t like, I respect them. But Tiki Barber is scum

    Getting exactly what he deserves, just like when he threw Eli and the Giants under the bus and then they win the Super Bowl. Not a Giants fan, but I love that Tiki go his well deserved karma

    And for those who say that he got so much money… two things.

    One – money isn’t everything.
    Tw0 – a lot of that is going to the ex and the kids.

    Tiki.. continue to suck in the game of life.. you deserve it.

  64. Tiki – what an apt name given the number of bridges he burned along the way.

    The Tiki torch has since been put out.

  65. Tiki, TV is better without you. The Giants were better without you. The NFL is better without your delusional comeback attempt. Go away please.

  66. I’m more flabbergasted you feel you should get a chance. You burned all the bridges in New York State and still want aa chance. Your TV days stunk, so now oh me I want back in the NFL. COME ON MAN!!!!

  67. Just shows how far his head is up his own @$$ because no one besides Barber and his agent are surprised. What do you mean no one wants a 36 year old running back who hasn’t played for years and that was a locker room cancer at the end of his career?

    Tiki: if no teams are signing guys like Clinton Portis do you really think they’re gonna want a guy like you?

    GET OVER YOURSELF AND GO AWAY

  68. How about a post or thread about how Peter King plays “favourites” with certain players and completely hates others.

    Now, before PK fans start to go off….I realize he has the option to not be objective and has worked hard to get where he is and he is more than a credible football journalist.

    That being said……….

    PK has basically been Tiki’s PR guy this offseason and it’s actually nice to see one of his “guys” get the door slammed shut in his face.

    PK learned from the feet of Parcells (aka – “The New Jersey Con Man”) and the entire “Parcells Guys” thing…..and he definitely has his own agenda when it comes to certain players (Tiki, Favre, any member of the Patriots)….and he’s not afraid to take shots at players (Emmitt) and teams he doesn’t particularly care for (Cowboys, Raiders, Dolphins, Bills, Bengals).

    Let’s give posters on this blog the opportunity to debate PK………I’d love to read some of the responses.

  69. Tiki, dude, you’re a running back, not a kicker. Nobody wants a 36 year old RB, give it up.

  70. Let’s see….. mmmm, out of the league 4 years and coming back cause you’re likely broke. Dumping your pregnant wife. I guess when ALL teams decide no more ability, and no more chacter, no more Tiki! But I would like to see some team pick you up. I can’t imagine your locker room to be very friendly. Surely someone would have clocked you for what you did to your wife and unborn twins. Just go away and never resurface. Even the networks don’t want you bring.

  71. Remember when he called that other Today show reporter a C#nt on air because she rubbed it in his face about the Giants winning the SB without him. Way to piss away your TV career Tiki.

    He should try to go to a team that isn’t very good mid season that needs RB help then play well & hope for next year.

  72. I can understand why he’d be devastated because he pinned all his hopes on this long shot. But flabbergasted? If he and Lepselter are that shocked at this outcome, it means they haven’t been paying attention to the running-backs market and were counting on Tiki’s four-year-old reputation to carry him. That’s foolish–especially for an agent.

  73. Tiki torch hasn’t played in years, is controversial, and a cancer in the locker room. Gee, I can’t possibly imagine why no one wants him.

  74. I’m flabbergasted that he derailed our chance to win the Super Bowl in 2006 (along with Burress’ foolishness, which would have us in line for a 3-peat, as a result).

    I’m flabbergasted that he talked trash about Eli behind his back and then smiled in Eli’s face when he got his NBC job.

    I’m flabbergasted that he hypocritically bashed his own father for doing EXACTLY what he ended up doing PUBLICLY.

    I’m flabbergasted that he is arrogant enough to believe he can return to the NFL after being away for 5 years, when he could barely outrun most linebackers when he left.

  75. Jeez, Tiki, sounds like you should start training to be an insurance salesman. Welcome to the real worlds wages.

    Funny, you thought you would just go back to football for a million dollar paycheck since you burned thru the commentating deal. You really need to start thinking about more than your own “little man”.

  76. I bet Tiki IS flabbergasted. That’s what happens when you have an inflated ego, an unusually high opinion of yourself, and then reality comes along and slaps you right across the face.

  77. Don’t really feel too much sympathy for him. Always seemed like a little dousch that always thought he was above everybody else. My feelings were confirmed when he cheated on his pregnant wife with his current fiance. Nope, don’t feel sorry for him one bit.

  78. You think his twin could have gotten him the hook-up.

    Or maybe, the two switch in the locker room right before gametime…Tiki lights it up as Ronde then reveals his true identity after the game! That will get some other team calling for sure.

    Moron.

  79. Wow.

    I have never seen more zombie clone haterism manifest in one place since Jesus was on the cross. None of you can even think for yourselves. You use the same phrases that you bit off other blogs or articles. “Cancer in the locker room” must have been used on 80% of the posts above. Any of you knuckehead zomblie clone tiki haters ever been in the locker room with Tiki?

    Do any of you zombie clone Tiki Haters even have a brain of your own to use to form your own thoughts. At least Peter King is not a zombie clone Tiki Hater like the rest of you. He is a reasonable guy who thinks that some team would be wise to give Tiki a shot.

    If Tiki is too old to play in the NFL, then how is his twin friggin’ brother doing it at a position that arguably requires more athleticism than running back?

    If I was evaluating most of you for a job as a writer or a commentator, the issue would not be your ages. It would be your intelligence and ability to think for yourself.

    Later zombie clones.

  80. this is the guy who didn’t care about Eli when he threw him under the bus as being a joke in the huddle, and then he dates a girl young enough to be his daughter. tiki: do u really miss football or did your reputation catch up with u in Hollywood, leaving u with one option!??

  81. I dunno what his agent is talking about he did get a shot. The Dolphins brought him in for a workout. They obviously werent impressed because he didnt get a job. Other teams always find out how this things go. So I dont know why they would be shocked. You would think that a guy with a mouth like Tiki’s would know that word gets around fast in the NFL.

    What did he think, he could put on a bad workout and still make a roster because he was good 5 years ago? That entitled attitude he had, he obviously still has, which is probably one of the reason why no one wants anything to do with him. That and the fact that Tiki is half as capable of producing as any rookie off the street who would cost half as much money to sign.

  82. I don’t get it. The guy is in his previous teams ring of honor. Of course at the very least they would give him a shot……………..oh wait you mean THAT Tiki Barber…..ummmmm maybe Iran is looking to start a national team????

  83. SLIMEDADDY–I think it’s pretty obvious you’re about the only enabler who bothered posting.I didn’t know tiki is able to play just because his brother is.Funny thinking at best!!!

  84. #1 – As many posters already realize, why sign him before week 1 and guarantee his whole year salary when you might only need him a few weeks? Or at 36 he gets injured on his first carry! LOL

    #2 – Why sign a guy that after you cut or release him the next week he is re-charging his TV analyst career by ripping the team he just left. Really, training camp or a few games use would be worth the headache afterwards!!

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