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So, the phones haven’t been ringing, huh? The inbox is empty? Nothing on the Whatsapp or Viber? Mark Leplester is Flabbergasted. Yes, Flabbergasted. Tiki Barber? He’s devastated. I don’t what’s worse – being flabbergasted, or devastated. Bottom line – No one wants Tiki Barber on their NFL rosters this year, or at least to open the year.

Working out or not, well spoken or not, giving a chance to a 36 year old running back, nearly 5 years since his last NFL games, doesn’t seem like such a lucrative proposal for any NFL General manager.

Is Barber really that surprised? Has his head been hit with sledgehammers? He was a hot commodate coming out of the NFL. Well spoken and easy on the eyes (not my words), Barber had plenty of offers when he left the game, joining NBC and getting chances to cover a variety of subjects, not just sports. By 2010, Barber was demoted to sideline reporter, and soon enough, his time with NBA was over.

What does a guy do? Well, try and join the NFL again. He did work out with the Dolphins, but nothing really came out of it. Despite the 10,000 rushing yards, the Pro Bowl selections, the All-Pro selections and his place among New York Giants’ greats, Barber wasn’t exactly loved by teammates.

Criticizing Michael Strahan publicly for the size of his contract, lashing out at Tom Coughlin the year before his retirement, citing the head coach as the man who “Pushed him towards television and out of the game”. Barber, shortly after retiring, opened his mouth about Eli Manning, prior to the 2007 NFL season, criticizing the quarterback he was paired up with just months earlier.

Manning and the Giants won the Super Bowl without Tiki Barber. And I guess all 32 NFL teams will be just fine without Tiki Barber as well.