WFAN host Tiki Barber cleared the air Monday regarding his comments about the New York Jets cancelling planned joint training camp practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week.
It was reported originally that last Thursday’s practice with both teams was cancelled abruptly in favor of practicing solo, leaving the Bucs without a place to practice ahead of their preseason game Saturday night. In reality, both organizations agreed a few days earlier to just hold one practice together on Wednesday. The Bucs ended up practicing Thursday at the Giants’ facility.
But Barber on Friday talking about the story cited a report that the reasoning behind the cancellation of the second practice had to do with Jets head coach Robert Saleh not being available to attend practice and it affecting what HBO was doing with Hard Knocks.
“It would elicit questions,” Barber said on Evan & Tiki. “‘Why isn’t the coach here?’ What Hard Knocks is showing has caused Robert Saleh to be criticized.”
When a clip of Barber was pushed by WFAN social media on Friday, Tiki’s claims that Saleh had to miss practice on Thursday were quickly refuted. The station has since taken down all posts of Barber talking about the story and removed the audio from its platform.
Barber apologized Monday saying he and Saleh talked and have gotten everything sorted out.
“I made a reckless speculation about what Coach Saleh was doing. And I know that was reckless and I’ve talked to Coach Saleh, talked to the Jets, and we’ve smoothed it out,” Barber said. “I just wanted to apologize publicly to Coach Saleh and to the Jets. And I know where I went wrong in that and we have talked it out, so to speak.”
