Giants’ Jonathan Tisch: We ‘don’t know’ if Saquon Barkley will be ready for Week 1

Jonathan Tisch admits the New York Giants ‘don’t know’ if Saquon Barkley (knee) will be able to return for Week 1 of the regular-season.

All reports regarding New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley’s rehabilitation from a torn ACL that cost him the final 14 games of the 2020 season have been positive thus far.

Barkley has been working out feverishly and his progress has been well noted. By most accounts, he is on schedule to play in the Giants’ 2021 opener again the Denver Broncos on September 12.

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However, there are still some lingering doubts. Until the team sees Barkley perform in a football setting, they won’t know for sure if their star will actually return on time for the beginning of the season.

TMZ caught up with Jonathan Tisch, the Giants’ treasurer and brother of chairman Steve Tisch, this week.

He told us he’s pleased with what he’s heard about Barkley’s rehab so far. But, he added he doesn’t know if the 24-year-old will be able to begin the season on the field.

Still, it’s clear the Giants have no plans to rush him back … with Tisch telling us “don’t know, don’t know” when we asked if the tailback would be ready to go in September.

There’s more … Tisch sounded fired up about his team’s free-agent acquisitions and the draft — and he even praised Daniel Jones, calling the signal-caller “a terrific quarterback.”

How plugged in Jonathan Tisch actually is to the on-field football operations is unknown, but the Barkley rehab is at the top of the Giants’ list of priorities.

The team has been preparing in case Barkley’s rehab takes a detour, adding several running backs over the offseason, signing free agent Devontae Booker, drafting Arizona’s Gary Brightwell and most recently, bringing in former Philadelphia Eagle Corey Clement.

Giants’ Jonathan Tisch: Sports betting will have ‘big influence’ on NFL ratings

New York Giants executive Jonathan Tisch believes legalized sports betting will have a “big influence” on NFL ratings.

Following a ratings scare in the aftermath of the Colin Kaepernick national anthem protests, the NFL has seen a 5% increase in TV viewership and a 49% increase in digital viewership this season, and some believe the uptick can be attributed to legalized sports betting in various states across the county.

While appearing on CNBC’s “Power Lunch” earlier this week, New York Giants treasurer and executive, Jonathan Tisch, acknowledged that sports betting has a “big influence” on current NFL ratings, future NFL ratings and the overall interest in the product.

“That is certainly a big influence,” Tisch said, via CNBC. “Obviously, if you’re betting on a certain game, you’re going to watch to see what happens and you’re going to watch until the bitter end because there are many games that are won on a field goal with three seconds left.”

Tisch added that fantasy football also has an impact on not only viewership, but attendance, noting that strict fantasy players are more likely to sit on their couch watching the NFL RedZone channel than paying full price to attend a single game in person.

In looking ahead, Tisch believes the NFL will adapt to those changes, even potentially allowing fans to place bets from inside the stadium on gameday.

“I think the NFL is getting ready for it,” Tisch said, adding that the Giants, who play in New Jersey where sports betting has been legalized, are prepared for it. “I’m sure the NFL is in constant conversation about how all this is going to unfold.”

One of the biggest discussions to be had, Tisch said, is how the NFL will allocate all of the sports betting revenue based on the league’s revenue-sharing program and how that would be impacted by states where sports betting remains illegal.

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