Tiki Barber on Football Players and Heat

A L B A N Y, N.Y., Aug. 2, 2001 -- 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.

GIBSON: Do players, Tiki, do it to themselves or are they pushed by coaches,trainers to keep going?

BARBER: You know what, I think it's a pride thing. I think, youknow, like I said, you've done it for so long and you don't want toleave your teammates down. These guys come to depend on you,especially someone like Korey, who was a team leader for them. Hewants to teach the little guys, the younger guys, how to be aprofessional and how to fight through things like this. And you, andit's almost on yourself, you pride yourself in being able to fightthrough these things.

GIBSON: But explain to somebody who doesn't play football why someone woulddo this? Korey Stringer didn't need to win his position. He's a proballplayer, he's revered throughout the league. He's a star. He'sgoing to start for the Minnesota Vikings, so … why do people do this to themselves?

BARBER: They do it because it's a game; it's a game you've been taught to betough in. You know, 20 years ago, 30 years ago, they didn't evenhave water on the field and it was about developing, like a mentality ofgoing to war. You see kind of dehydration and things like this inthe military, as well, because they're taught that toughness. We'retaught that toughness where nothing can break you. You want to getinto a game and being able to go on against any situation and be ableto fight through it. And you know, training camp and practice is oneof those things where you're going to fight through these toughtimes, whether you've got a little nick, whether you're feeling sick,you're going to fight through that because when the season starts youdon't want to have to sit down and say, you know, I couldn't getthrough it.

GIBSON: The NFL says it's going to look at training practices throughout theleague. Did you see anything different in practice yesterday for theGiants?

BARBER: Not much. We've been, you know, we've been taught since we first gethere, our trainer gives us a pamphlet, a handout, and gives us a little talk about keeping hydrated, drinking water, takingas much as you want back to your room. And I think guys, by andlarge, listen to it. We're lucky up here in Albany because it's notas hot as it is in some of the other parts of the country.

GIBSON: Yeah. Not surprising some, often that these things happen down inthe South.

BARBER: Yeah.

GIBSON: State, high school teams down in that area that can happen there. Tiki Barber, appreciate you joining with us.

BARBER: No problem.