New York Giants stud back Saquon Barkley looks up to the older, wiser David Tyree in many ways, especially with how he handles the community.
Saquon Barkley is jealous of David Tyree.
Recently, I spoke with the young phenom at the Children of the City charity event hosted by Tyree, New York Giants‘ Super Bowl hero. We spoke about Saquon’s record-setting rookie year and career goals, giving back to the community and his “welcome to the NFL moment.”
Barkley is becoming a humble leader on the field and a pillar of the community off of it. When asked about legacy, Barkley mentioned Tyree’s famous helmet catch, but quickly pointed out that the elder’s charitable efforts are something to look up to.
“It’s about giving back, you can only play football for so long. You look up to a guy like that, you want to follow that mold and one day I can start my own foundation and have it rocking and be amazing like this.”
Coming off of a rookie-record 91 receptions in 2018, Tyree really couldn’t offer much advice to No. 26 about route-running.
“He already has more than I had in my entire career, so he doesn’t need any lessons from me.”
When asked about the player who gave him his “Welcome to the NFL moment,” Barkley had a surprising answer: Eli Manning.
“Growing up and being a fan of football, and knowing what he did for New York … I was like ‘wow,’ that’s actually Eli Manning.”
It might be time to ensure Saquon Barkley is wearing a “C” this season.