Barber
Retiring NFL starTiki Barber is set to sign a broadcasting deal said to be worth more than $3 million a year over four years.
But the question remains: With which network?
Barber, 31, has been the target of a multinetwork bidding war ever since he announced he would retire from professional football to begin a broadcasting career at the end of this season.
The Giants running back has been in talks with three nets with both football and significant news assets: ABC/ESPN, NBC and Fox.
A report in the New York Post said Barber had agreed to a deal with ABC/ESPN that includes football commentary as well as work on ABC News' "Good Morning America" and "20/20."
But business manager Mark Lepselter denied the report and said talks with all three networks are still alive.
"The report in the New York Post was an erroneous report," Lepselter said. "We have certainly had detailed conversations with Disney as we have had with NBC and Fox as well. Nothing has been finalized. No networks have been informed of anything."
An ABC News spokesman declined to comment.
That another sports figure is heading to the broadcast booth would be unremarkable except that Barber wants to do general news, not just sports.
Also landmark will be the size of the deal. If signed, pact would exceed the value of the last two years of Barber's contract with the New York Giants, which is worth $8.3 million.
Barber had planned to make a decision on his future this week, but Lepselter said he's delaying that until the end of the Giants' playoff run.
The Giants made the playoffs in large part due to Barber, who rushed for 234 yards against the Redskins on Saturday, a team record. His performance silenced those who criticized Barber for talking about his post-football career while the Giants' season was still alive.
The ability to do news will be the most important part of the deal for Barber, but to pay the freight for his salary, networks will look to spread the hit over a number of shows in both news and sports.
Barber is a regular Tuesday substitute on Fox News Channel morning show "Fox & Friends," using his day off from football to gain experience on the set.
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