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He is outraged and disgusted by so much of what Michael Strahan said regarding the Giants, but most of all, Tiki Barber feels sickened about the way Strahan's rip job of the team offering him a king's ransom reflects on all players.

"We get a bad rap as athletes wanting money all the time," Barber said yesterday. "Michael is typifying that when he should just be quiet."

In an emotional, exclusive interview with The Post, Barber defended the Giants and lambasted Strahan for what Barber views as greed gone awry. As the team's top offensive weapon and one of its unquestioned leaders, Barber has a stake in the well-being of the franchise and could not bear to hear the myriad of wild accusations Strahan tossed at the Giants.

"He's got to be able to give a little to get a lot, and he's not willing to give at all," Barber said. "Michael says, ‘I just want the Giants fans to know that the Giants aren't doing what they say they're doing.' We don't need all that. It hurts me as a Giant and as a Giants fan."

It is rare when a player will criticize another's business dealings, but Barber was unafraid to take on the Pro Bowl defensive end. Strahan last week stated he expected this to be his final year with the Giants because negotiations had broken off after he rejected a seven-year, $58 million deal. Strahan's main beef was that the $17 million signing bonus was split, $10 million this year and $7 million the next, and he feared he'd be cut before ever receiving the $7 million.

Nonsense, Barber contends. A year ago, Barber signed a six-year, $25 million contract and his $7 million bonus was paid out in two equal payments of $3.5 million, one last year and one this month. Similar arrangements were made with Jason Sehorn and Amani Toomer. Strahan is the only player who balked.

"He basically said he doesn't trust the organization," Barber said. "When they made the deal with me it wasn't an agreement between [GM] Ernie [Accorsi] and I that the money would come through. It was from the owner of the team. My agent warned me about it, but we had the promise of Mr. [Wellington] Mara, who typifies integrity in this league. I felt confident if there was someone I could trust, it was him. It makes me mad. If you can't trust the Giants, who can you trust?"

Point by point, Barber blasted Strahan's case. Strahan said, "I don't feel like [the Giants] want to be competitive." Barber counters that if Strahan had agreed to a cap-friendly deal, the Giants would be able to get involved in signing free agents.

"We lost some good players this year and we had to, because we're not getting cooperation," Barber said. "He definitely is hindering the process. He's not helping it by acting the way he's acting and saying the things he's saying."

As for Strahan's contention that the Giants are not interested in assembling a winning team, Barber again shot down his teammate. "I know they care about winning," Barber said. "You got to realize no single player, I don't care how good you are, how many sacks you had or how many yards you've rushed for, is bigger than the team, period. Michael is not thinking about the team; he's thinking about himself."

Finally, Barber attempted to add a dose of common sense into the sordid situation.

"I don't know if he realizes how much $17 million is," Barber said. "That is absolutely ridiculous, to turn that down. He's already the highest-paid defensive player in the league. He's already making more than most quarterbacks. I find it hard to believe this whole deal hinged on if he was going to get $17 or $10 million this year. I find that hard to believe. That's the value of my entire contact, that's why I have no sympathy. You're telling me that's not good enough for two years? Give me a break."

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Strahan, who just set the single-season sack record with 22½,

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GonzoStyle
You can kill the name, but you can't kill the legend