from www.nydailynews.com – Tiki Barber’s 23-year-old girlfriend convinced her family she was baby-sitting for the ex-Giants star as their romance heated up and his marriage fell apart.
Blond beauty Traci Johnson’s father and aunt both believed the former NBC intern was helping out – instead of hooking up with – the three-time All-Pro and father of two.
“That’s what [her dad] Ernest told me,” said Johnson family neighbor Bob Drabik.
Johnson’s aunt, who lives near her small hometown of Pine Bush in upstate Orange County, confirmed that family members believed the stunner was taking care of Barber’s children. But a source close to the Barbers called the baby-sitting tale “100% categorically untrue.”
What’s not disputed is that Barber – who turned 35 Wednesday – split from his eight months pregnant wife after 11 years in a move that came out of the Big Blue.
The elusive running back spoke often about his dedication to family, particularly because his own father abandoned the Barbers when Tiki and his twin, Ronde, were just 4.
But Barber had clearly found a constant companion in Johnson, a former honors student at a small Catholic college overlooking the Hudson River.
An amateur photographer snapped the pair at Newark Airport in December 2008 as Tiki headed to a Dallas-Giants game.
They were pictured side by side again in Washington last month at the screening of a documentary hosted by the halfback-turned-TV host.
Twitter messages indicated the two were in Arizona at the same time last month, and Johnson reportedly accompanied Barber to the Vancouver Olympics in February.
While Barber and Johnson were traveling as a twosome, Tiki’s wife, Ginny, was home expecting twins next month. The Barber brood already includes son A.J., 7, and little brother Chason, 6.
The married couple met at the University of Virginia, where Barber starred before the Giants made him a second-round draft choice in 1997.
Barber did not return an e-mail for comment Wednesday, standing by a statement that the couple’s decision was painful but amicable.
Johnson’s father refused to comment on his daughter’s relationship.
“I can’t talk about this,” said Ernest Johnson, reportedly a big Giants fan, before hanging up on a Daily News reporter.
Drabik said he believed Barber wrote a letter that helped Traci Johnson, a communications major, land an internship with NBC in 2007. A year later, Barber visited her Mount Saint Mary College campus in Newburgh, Orange County, to address students.
The marital split was the latest blow to Barber’s carefully crafted public persona, which first showed cracks after his 2006 retirement from the Giants.
Barber, who holds virtually every Giants running record, was routinely booed at Giants Stadium after he bad-mouthed quarterback Eli Manning.
A year after Barber retired, Manning led the Giants to a Super Bowl title – and Tiki’s TV career later faltered.
Barber still appears on the “Today” show, but recently lost his job on NBC’s weekly Sunday night football telecast. The network opted not to renew Barber’s contract after last season.