Saquon Barkley was 'ready to run through a brick wall' after Tom Brady challenged him at Met Gala
Tom Brady can do a lot of things. His status as an elite starting quarterback for the New England Patriots at age 42 proves that. But one thing he seemingly cannot do is make small talk.
New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley told a story to NJ.com about his very first meeting with Brady, which happened at the Met Gala in May. And the way Barkley tells it, the two went right into Barkley’s future in the NFL and whether he has the ability to sustain his rookie year success. From NJ.com:
“It’s great to do it for one season, but can you do it for five? Can you do it for 10?” Barkley remembers Brady saying to him. “I’m standing there at the Met Gala ready to run through a brick wall.”
Here’s the image you need in your head: Barkley, standing there in his shorts suit (yes, a suit with shorts), awed at getting to meet the great Tom Brady for the first time, and instead of talking about the weather or their families or why exactly he chose to wear shorts with a suit, Brady ends up challenging Barkley to repeat his amazing rookie year.
Of course, we have no idea what came before or after in that conversation, but what Brady said feels like it should come in the middle of a long talk between a rookie and a veteran, not Met Gala red-carpet small talk. How did Brady even find an opening to say that? Maybe if Barkley had started their conversation by saying “Hi, I’m Saquon Barkley, the 2018 NFL Rookie of the Year,” Brady could have answered that way. But even then, maybe give him a congratulations before telling him that he shouldn’t be proud until he can be successful for several years.
The upshot of Brady talking football at the Met Gala is that Barkley has remembered it, and seems to be using it as material for the bulletin board in his brain. The Giants may not be poised for greatness this season, but at least their young star running back is ready to prove to Brady (and the world) that he’s got years of success ahead of him.
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