Tiki Barber's Anne Frank Holocaust quip

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NEW YORK, May 26 (UPI) -- Former New York Giant running back Tiki Barber has ignited controversy with remarks comparing himself to Holocaust victim Anne Frank.

In an interview for a Sports Illustrated article, Barber, who is attempting an NFL comeback this season, mentioned moving with his girlfriend into the house of his agent, Mark Lepselter, where he said they were hiding out in his attic, the New York Daily News reported Thursday.

"Lep's Jewish," Barber said, "and it was like a reverse Anne Frank thing."

Barber, who last played for the Giants in the 2006 season, and who is technically still under contract to the team, said in March he would attempt a comeback to the NFL.

Hours after the announcement, the Giants said they would cut Barber, arguably the best running back in the team's history, as soon as a new collective bargaining agreement would be worked out.

After playing in 2006, Barber landed at NBC, where he made headlines with sharp criticisms of Giants Coach Tom Coughlin and quarterback Eli Manning.

Word came in 2010 that Barber was splitting from his wife Ginny, with whom he already had two children, while she was pregnant with twins.