Saquon Barkley Recalls His Father Being 'Mistreated' by Police
Saquon Barkley remembered walking to the Penn State football building in August 2016 when his mom called. She said Barkley's father had been "mistreated" by police, tased in an incident that ultimately led to a federal civil rights lawsuit.
"I remember how I felt in that moment," Barkley told reporters Thursday at New York Giants training camp. "It hurt me. It hurt me."
Barkley the Giants' third-year All-Pro running back, recalled the moment when discussing the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis. Barkley said video of the shooting "makes you sick, especially being a Black Man" and added that the team's leadership council seeks ways to "spark change."
Barkley, who participated in a June players video seeking more support from the NFL regarding issues of racial and social justice, then delivered a personal message Thursday by describing what happened to his father four years ago.
In August 2016, as he prepared for what would become his breakthrough sophomore season at Penn State, Barkley received that call from his mother, Tonya Johnson. His father, Alibay Barkley, said he had been "manhandled" by a bus driver and a security guard in Allentown, Pa., in a dispute over a bus pass.
Alibay Barkley ultimately filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city of Allentown and a regional bus company. The suit alleged that the driver and security guard discriminated against Alibay Barkley because he is Black. The suit also said that police officers used a Taser to subdue him.
Alibay Barkley settled the lawsuit in 2018 for $45,000, according to The Morning Call of Allentown.
"My father was kind of just mishandled by police officers," Saquon Barkley said. "It was a situation when I was in college. I remember that phone call that I got from my parents, well from my mom, that my dad was basically mishandled and mistreated. At the time, they thought my dad was wrong, but they kind of worked through it and found out that my dad was right, which obviously, I knew.
"But in that moment, when I got that phone call, I'll never forget it. I was walking to the Lasch Building at Penn State, and my mom called me. My mom was really worried and concerned. My dad had a heart condition and got tased in the heart. I remember how I felt in that moment. It hurt me. It hurt me."
Barkley said that incident regarding his father compels him to "try to be an inspiration for others." He also hopes to take advantage of his platform to continue the conversation.
"In that little situation right there, you can lose someone that you really care about," Saquon Barkley said. "I think when you look at it, you can't look at it as, 'Oh, it's Jacob Blake.' Obviously, I know he didn't pass away. But you can't look at it like that. You have to put yourself, 'What if I was in that situation?' What if it was your brother? What if it was your cousin? What if it was [Sterling] Shep? What if it was Golden [Tate]? All those guys. That's kind of the way I look at it.
"Then how it makes me think and makes me feel. I understand that God put me in a position to be able to have a platform and to be able to use my voice. I've been big on knowing my history, especially with the athletes and the Bill Russells of the world, Colin Kaepernicks of the world. How they were able to handle those situations using their voice. It creates a conversation that you have to have yourself. What can you do? What can you do? That's just the start. You have to start those conversations, and then take action. Find ways you can do it, and that's what we're trying to do with our team. We can continue to find the right things to do and we can continue to do it."
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