As Saquon Barkley Gears Up for SNF, RB’s Father Chooses Rival Jets Over Giants

As Vin Diesel famously said in the Fast and Furious franchise, “Family is everything.”. But not for Alibay Barkley. Despite having a son who plays running back for the New York Giants, he would not support his son’s team. Over decades of rooting for his favorite team, the New York Jets, Alibay has a dilemma coming up this Sunday Night Live.

At least, we would think it’s a dilemma. Alibay is crystal clear on his stance: it’s the Jets for him. He even has the Jets logo tattooed on his forearm. That is in contrast to no permanent marking of his son his jersey number 26 or the Giants logo. So, who is Saquon dealing with this lack of support?

Saquon Barkley happy in spite of father’s lack of support for the team

In a post by @art_stapleton on X, he shared why the upcoming Giants vs. Jets is so personal for him and what it means for the relationship between him and his father. “it’s personal, and it’s family,” the caption said. Ali has clearly stated that he will get #26 tattooed on his body when his son lifts the Lombardi Trophy with the Giants. But there is a silver lining to all this as well.

Saquon admitted that he had managed to get his father to root for him as well. “Finally got him to – he’s still rooting for the Jets this game, but he hopes we win this time,” Saquon revealed. “So, I got him to say that out of his own mouth two or three days ago. I finally got my father on my side.”

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The upcoming match will be personal for Barkley, as he hopes to impress his father enough to get him to switch over to his team. Who are we kidding? It will take more than that for him to switch loyalties. A win at least would make him proud of his son, as a father if not as a fan rooting for his team’s player.

Barkley explains why it will be difficult for his father to support him

Growing up watching his father support the Jets, it has been difficult for #26 to play against them as well. “Some people are familiar with my history of being a Jets fan growing up,” Saquon recalled. But, as luck would have it, he was picked up by a New York team, but the Giants and not the Jets, in the 2018 NFL Draft. He might have made it into his father’s team, as the Jets were lined up just after the Giants in the Draft process. But it seems God had other plans.

In 2020, he registered a career low of 1 rushing yard on 13 carries in a 34-27 Giants loss. We couldn’t tell if his father was happy for the Jets or sad for his son at the time. But 3 years later he is bringing his A-game to the field. He’s rushed for 170 yards in games against Buffalo and Washington. How will the rivalry pan out this time as the Giants take on the Jets at MetLife Stadium on October 29, 1:00 p.m. ET?

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