PHILADELPHIA EAGLES running back Saquon Barkley was destroyed by fans after making an NBA appearance.
Barkley, who signed with the Eagles this offseason, showed up to cheer on the Philadelphia 76ers in the opening round of their playoff series.
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The issue was that Barkley is a former New York Giant, and the Sixers were facing the New York Knicks in the playoffs.
With fans already upset with him for jumping to an NFL divisional rival, seeing him root against the hometown basketball team only made things worse.
Barkley was drafted by the Giants with the second pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and spent the first six years of his career in New York.
He is a former Offensive Rookie of the Year award winner and two-time Pro Bowler.
In his six seasons, Barkley rushed for 5,211 yards with 35 touchdowns while catching 288 passes for 2,100 yards and 12 touchdowns.
The Giants were unable to find a way to keep him in New York, and he left for the rival Eagles as a free agent.
Barkley signed a three-year, $37.75 million contract with the Eagles that includes $26 million guaranteed.
While the Sixers-Knicks game was in Philadelphia, there was still a large contingent of New York fans in the arena, and they made sure to give Barkley a loud boo when they saw him on the jumbotron.
They also told him how they felt about his departure on social media.
“What. A loser,” said one fan.
“Being booed in your new city is a nice welcome,” said another fan.
“Walt Frazier called him a coat,” said a third fan.
“He still doesn’t have the courage to wear Philly clothes haha,” said a fourth fan.
The noise from the New York fans was so apparent that Barkley turned to X to defend himself.
“It’s been two months… haha, there’s no way you can still be so mad! I can’t even go to a basketball game,” he wrote.
“Let me educate some of you fans here… I can’t give up or become a traitor if I never get an offer to come back.
“So I went to the organization that I thought was the best and after already being here a month, man, am I excited to be an Eagle!
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
