The Sports Truth

Why is one man’s decision to retire permission for others to react?

Minutes after Tiki Barber’s decision to retire from the New York Giants at season’s end was reported by the New York Times, others chimed in. Since then the opinions have not stopped. And the fallout has nothing to do with Barber’s feelings, only everyone else’s.

Among media and fans, there has been shock, denial, worry, acceptance and a fair share of criticism.

The pervading sense seemed tinged with betrayal: How could someone in the prime of his career, holding the key to the Super Bowl hopes of his franchise, have the gall to walk away?

It’s an odd relationship fans have with athletes. We do more than cheer; we help determine legacies. In pro sports, the timing of a retirement is among the most scrutinized subjects. Some athletes are criticized for playing too long, others not long enough.

As if it’s our place to say.

“There is something fundamentally wrong about that,” Barber told the Times. “Because as someone who has ownership over my own life, and has been given the God-given thing that all of us have, which is free will, I should be able to choose when I want to leave and if I want to stay.”

Tiki was torched this week by a number of “journalists,” including none other than Michael Irvin, the former Cowboys receiver and current ESPN analyst. By announcing his intention to retire now, Barber is a distraction in Irvin’s warped mind.

Note that the Giants’ all-time leading rusher and receiver announced his plans two weeks ago. New York has soundly beaten Atlanta and (fittingly), the Tony Romo-led Cowboys in its last two games. Clearly he’s distracting to fans and reporters, but not to the only 52 people who matter.

We’re not privy to what goes on in the Giants locker room, but if Michael Strahan’s comments are any indication, Barber’s plans are anything but a distraction. If anything, Tiki commands more respect than ever before, and has raised the team’s level of play of late.

“It’s hard for people to accept because they look at it as: How could he give up such a great job, making all that money? To be honest with you, sometimes this beating is not worth any money, any accolades or anything else that somebody could give you,” Strahan said.

“You’re defined as a football player,” he added. “If you’re not playing football, you’re a nobody. That’s not true. Tiki looks at it like I look at it. This is a beginning.”

Strahan’s point should be obvious to fans, but even more so to players such as Michael Irvin (left). But apparently, a man who was arrested for sexual assault, drug possession and other illicit activities during his career is qualified to pass judgment on others and decide what constitutes a distraction.

With a wife, two young sons and his whole life in front of him, Barber worries about the long-term effects of the poundings he has taken since entering the NFL in 1997. He’s played a brutal sport for a decade and is just about ready to pack it in.

If he’s not inspired to come back at the end of this season, why should he? As disappointed as observers of his incredible talent might be, how can one possibly fault him or question the decision?

No one knows what it’s like to be Tiki Barber, but as Strahan says, he is more than a football player — even if he’s in his prime, and  leads the NFL in total yards from scrimmage entering today. He’s a human being. One that will do what’s right for him. Period.

At its core, it is a fulfillment issue. He would rather try other things.

“Nothing is guaranteed to you. Especially not sports. Now that I know I can guarantee how I’ll be remembered as an athlete, as being at the top of my game, I think I would be foolish not to jump at that, and move on to something else that I find exciting,” Barber said.

God speed, Tiki. The only ending befitting of a player of such class would be a Super Bowl championship for the Giants come February. Here’s hoping.

Posted in Michael Irvin, NFL, Tiki Barber