Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal unwisely picked a fight with fans last week, taking offense to their boos. Running back Saquon Barkley wisely advised his teammate to “never pick a battle with a fans. Never going to win that one. They’ve been here before us and will be here after us. That’s just the truth.”
During Sunday’s loss at Miami, Barkley was caught on video barking at fans in the stands.
He said Thursday he was defending quarterback Daniel Jones, who had gone into the medical tent after injuring his neck.
“When [Jones], someone who would give his freaking all for this franchise and this city and would go out there and risk it every single day and do whatever he can to bring a Super Bowl to this city and this organization, and he just hurt his neck, and he’s sitting in a blue tent getting check on for his neck, and you’ve got a fan just mother-king him, that just doesn’t sit well with me,” Barkley said, via Mark Sanchez of the New York Post. “He’s helpless. He can’t do nothing.”
The Giants are 1-4, and Jones’ 71.7 passer rating ranks 33rd in the NFL. (Yes, there are only 32 starting quarterbacks, but Indianapolis has two quarterbacks ahead of Jones.)
Barkley said fans have every right to express displeasure over the team’s performance, but he draws the line at fans who cheer a teammate’s injury.
“I get it. I was a fan of football before,” Barkley said. “That’s not in my makeup, in my character, to boo and do stuff like that. But, fans, if you don’t like the product that we’re doing out there — we’ve got to give them a product to be happy about. Go ahead and boo. Or go ahead and cheer. That’s part of the game. But have sympathy at the same time. He’s a human being. Out of all people, it shouldn’t be 8 [Jones].”
Jones appears unlikely to play Sunday after missing another practice, but the Giants are not ruling him out. Barkley said his ankle is improving but is uncertain whether he can return against the Bills.