Giants Fire Back at Trump Over Saquon Barkley Claim, Telling Him to 'Stop Yapping'

The New York Giants are not here for presidential play-calling. On Monday, the team responded to Donald Trump after he boasted that he personally told Giants staff to do "anything" to keep Saquon Barkley before Barkley jumped ship for the Eagles. For those keeping score, Barkley just celebrated a Super Bowl LIX win with Philadelphia at the White House. Guess Trump isn't the only one with opinions on football moves.

Trump, never shy about inserting himself into the NFL's juiciest dramas, claimed he warned the Giants not to lose Barkley after witnessing one of the running back’s jaw-dropping hurdles. "Do anything you have to, but don’t lose Saquon," Trump recalled telling the team. He went on to say, "That was not good. I called that one." If only predicting sports outcomes was that easy for the rest of us.

Well, the Giants weren’t exactly flattered. Team spokesman Pat Hanlon told reporters there were "no conversations" between Trump and the organization about Barkley’s future. Hanlon didn’t stop there—he hopped on social media to deliver a direct message: "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!!" Nothing says "sports diplomacy" like a retirement plea mixed with a presidential jab.

Meanwhile, Barkley seems to be unfazed by the political whirlpool. The running back played a round of golf with the president at his Bedminster, New Jersey course and then caught a ride to Washington on Air Force One. As for the online fuss, Barkley brushed it off by saying he just respects the office, whether it’s Trump or Obama. He summed it up: "Now ya get out my mentions with all this politics and have amazing day."