Tiki Barber on Football Players and Heat

A L B A N Y, N.Y., Aug. 2 -- New York Giants running back Tiki Barber talks about the 27-year-old right tackle who died of a heat stroke after practice. He said Korey Stringer of the Minnesota Vikings and players like him, pride themselves on being able to fight through the heat during team workouts.

In an interview with ABCNEWS' Charles Gibson, Barber said players don't realize how serious heat-related problems can be until something tragic happens.

The following is an unedited transcript of the interview that aired on ABCNEWS' Good Morning America.

ABCNEWS' CHARLES GIBSON: Tiki, good to have you with us.We just heard a sports medicine expert there say that playerspush themselves too far. I saw a couple of dozen New York Giantsat the end of practice yesterday knelt in prayer for Korey Stringer.I'm sure that was played out in many, many camps. But is this commonthat players push themselves too far?

NEW YORK GIANTS RUNNING BACK, TIKI BARBER: Well, Charles, we've been taught since we were children playing thesports that you've got to be tough, you've got to suck things up, you've got to keep pushing for the team. And oftentimes youignore the warnings. And you look at some of the charts that theyput out for us, some of the signs of dehydration are cramping, aredry mouth, a headache. Things like that happen every day andyou don't think it's a bigger problem until something tragic likethis happens.

GIBSON: And I know the trainers stress you have to stay hydrated, and forsomebody like Korey Stringer that involves drinking an enormousamount of water. But he was vomiting, he couldn't keep things down.Do you see that often, that players will be vomiting … during practice?

BARBER: Not that, not that as often. Guys will sometimes throw up and it'snot something big, you think your lunch is just coming back on you,you think you ate too much and you're going to be all right if youjust push through it, and it's tough when you've done this for somany years and you feel like it's nothing different. But then, allof a sudden, the heat index gets up so high, you don't realize howhot it is and before you know it you have a problem with yourself.