The Giants are pushing back on President Donald Trump’s claim that he told members of the Giants – including head coach Brian Daboll – not to let Saquon Barkley leave before he became a free agent and signed with the Eagles in 2024.
Trump made the comments during the Eagles’ visit to the White House on Monday to celebrate their Super Bowl victory earlier this year.
However, Giants vice president of communications Pat Hanlon refuted it to Front Office Sports, telling the outlet that “there were no conversations” that took place between the President and the Giants regarding Barkley.
Hanlon had told the outlet “no,” when they asked if he could confirm that any conversation had taken place or if the team would be making a statement.
FOS also reported that Hanlon then directed them to a post he made on his personal X account.
“With all due respect, stop yapping. Be the leader we all want you to be. And my 401K wants you to be. I’m trying to retire!!” he wrote on the social media platform while tagging Trump.
The president had originally talked about a conversation he had with the Giants about Barkley earlier in the day.
“I was with the Giants and the head coach and some people and I said, ‘Do anything you have to, but don’t lose Saquon.’” Trump said. “They lost Saquon. That was not good. I called that one. That was an easy one to call because he played damn well for the Giants, I can tell you that.”
Barkley left the Giants last offseason and signed with their biggest rivals, the Eagles, immediately leading the Birds to a Super Bowl championship in his first year in Philly.
The running back signed a two-year, $41.2 million contract extension last month with the Eagles.
Trump had heaped loads of praise on Barkley during the White House ceremony after having spent the day with the NFL star on Sunday, golfing at his course in Bedminster, New Jersey, before hitching a ride to Washington D.C. with the president on Air Force One later in the day.
Barkley had been criticized by people on social media for spending time with the Trump, and he fired back at them on Monday, posting on X, “Maybe I just respect the office, not a hard concept to understand.”
