WFAN afternoon host Tiki Barber was the subject of harsh criticism from NFL star Saquon Barkley as the now-former Giant departed New York for the Philadelphia Eagles. Barber has defended himself by saying he’s simply doing his job.

In the lead-up to NFL free agency, Barber suggested it was preposterous for Barkley to even consider playing for the Eagles due to the rivalry between the two franchises. When Barkley did indeed join the hated rival, Barber claimed the NFL star was “dead” to him.

In a series of posts on X, Barkley argued that Barber has “been a hater since I got to New York”, and implored the Giant legend not to smile at him if they ever saw each other in real life.

During an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, Tiki Barber argued the criticism of Barkley is just part of the job.

“Our job is to entertain, to inform, and sometimes get a little bit visceral, because that’s how the fan is. And they want to express themselves but they don’t often get a chance to call in and talk about it, so we do it for them,” Barber said. “And that’s how Giants fans were feeling about Saquan Barkley. I just happened to be the messenger that got the shrapnel from Saquon when he decided to respond to the one-day story.”

Patrick asked if Barber would respond to Barkley’s direct criticism of him being a “hater” and “don’t smile in my face when you see me,” with the WFAN host saying it’s a non-issue.

“I smile at everybody,” Barber said with a laugh. “It’s part of the job. It’s part of the reaction that comes from athletes who think the media is always against them. But the reality is Giants fans love to Saquan Barkley. It just felt like it wasn’t going to work out and now we have to worry about him running all over us for the next three or four years down in Philadelphia. And that pains us. It really does.”