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Barkley's agent denies Browns told not to draft him

By The Sports Xchange
Penn State running back Saquon Barkley tries to elude a USC tackler during he 2017 Rose Bowl. Photo by Juan Ocampo/UPI
Penn State running back Saquon Barkley tries to elude a USC tackler during he 2017 Rose Bowl. Photo by Juan Ocampo/UPI | License Photo

Saquon Barkley's agent denied a report in Sports Illustrated that the Penn State running back would make like Eli Manning and demand the Cleveland Browns not draft him.

Manning, the New York Giants' quarterback, told the San Diego Chargers not to select him with the No. 1 pick of the 2004 NFL Draft. When they did, he said he would not play for them, so they traded him to the Giants.

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"As Saquon's representative, I can say on behalf of our entire team that we would be thrilled for Saquon to go to whichever team drafts him," agent Kim Miale told cleveland.com in a text response. "We know he will be a resounding success for any team fortunate enough to select him."

When asked if the report were true that Roc Nation, the management firm Barkley has signed with, advised his client to tell the Browns not to draft him, Miale said: "No."

Sports Illustrated, which claimed in a profile on Barkley that Roc Nation wants him to request that the Browns not draft him, stood by its reporting.

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In a profile on Barkley in the latest issue of Sports Illustrated, Ben Baskin wrote: "His Roc Nation handlers, however, don't want him to be taken No. 1. They don't want him in Cleveland. They want him to go second to the Giants and play in the media capital of the world. That's where you can become the Face of the League. His manager even implored him to pull an Eli Manning and demand that the Browns not draft him."

Roc Nation, which is owned by rapper and businessman Jay-Z, also represents Browns head coach Hue Jackson.

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