Tiki Barber Defends Ex-Giants Teammate Strahan, Calls Sapp 'An Idiot'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Tiki Barber is standing up for former Giants teammate Michael Strahan.
Barber called Warren Sapp "an idiot" on Monday for saying Simeon Rice was a better pass rusher than Strahan "any day of the week and twice on Sunday."
"Warren's an idiot," Barber said at a celebrity golf event in Huntington, according to the New York Post. "He just wants to say things to be idiotic. I played with Stray for my whole career — he is the greatest of the great. He is a great teammate, he kept things light, but on game day he was as serious as a heart attack and it showed in his play."
Sapp suggested to the Tampa Tribune last week that Strahan was only successful because he lined up against the opposition's weakest lineman. Sapp and Rice played together with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Strahan is No. 5 on the all-time list with 141.5 sacks in 15 seasons, all with the Giants. He set an NFL record with 22.5 sacks during the 2001 season.
"Warren doesn't know, never played with him," said Barber. "I don't put any credence in his opinion."
On WFAN radio Tuesday, Barber delivered a message to Sapp: "Don't knock down my guy to pick up your guy."
Sapp was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in February. It was his first appearance on the ballot. Many thought Strahan was a lock, but he'll have to wait until 2014, his second year of eligibility.
The two retired players have had a long-standing feud, dating back to when Strahan broke the single-season sacks record in Jan. 2002.
"You don't need to knock Michael Strahan to give Simeon Rice his credit," Barber said on the "Boomer & Carton" show. "It's idiotic to do that, because you're disparaging one of the greatest players in New York Giant history."
Tiki Barber
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