New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley was sad to see his former teammate Odell Beckham Jr. get traded to the Cleveland Browns.
A New York Giants sensation is showing love for his now-former teammate.
This week, Giants running back Saquon Barkley spoke to Matt Lombardo of NJ.com at Penn State’s Pro Day about the Odell Beckham Jr. trade. As we all have heard, the Giants traded OBJ to the Cleveland Browns last Tuesday.
Barkley revealed that Beckham FaceTimed him from Paris when Saquon was in Los Angeles training with Giants tight end Evan Engram and wide receiver Sterling Shepard. This was a few minutes before the world found out about the blockbuster trade.
“We talked over FaceTime, he had just gotten traded, so I don’t think he was really happy about it,” Barkley told Lombardo. “He just gave me some advice about how to handle stuff in the league. He was the same old big brother to me that he’s always been.”
Barkley obviously isn’t happy about the trade or the loss of his teammate. However, Barkley is aware that it’s a business and all he can do is wish OBJ luck with his new team.
“I was sad to see him go,” Barkley said. “But, hopefully he continues to have a great career there in Cleveland.”
Barkley led the NFL with 2,028 yards from scrimmage this past season, as he was selected as the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. It was clear that Barkley was the 2018 MVP of the Giants. Now that Beckham is with a new organization, the Giants are without a doubt Barkley’s team, and he knows it.
“I have to grow as a leader more,” Barkley said. “Whether it’s being a vocal leader or leading by example, it’s a team effort. We have to have other players grow as leaders, continue to believe in each other.”
