Saquon Barkley has opened up on recent controversy about his negotiations with the Philadelphia Eagles. The veteran running back, one of the biggest names on the free-agent market this year, explains that it was all a misunderstanding by his former Penn State head coach, James Franklin.

Saquon Barkley addresses the tampering allegations that are being investigated by the NFL pic.twitter.com/gTHIpEffBi

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“Coach [James] Franklin, I think he kind of misinterpreted it,” Barkley said. “The truth was that the sales pitch was Penn State and how many Penn State fans are Eagles fans. But that was through my agent, my agent told me that. It happens.”

Franklin stirred the pot by implying Eagles general manager Howie Roseman and Barkley spoke before Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET when the league’s new year started and teams were able to speak directly to players. Before that, they could only be in contact with agents, which Barkley states was the case.

The NFL is reportedly looking into these allegations as well as Kirk Cousins’ negotiations with the Atlanta Falcons. If found guilty, the Eagles could face severe consequences, possibly losing draft picks.

Then again, Barkley was very open to clearing the air and said nothing illegal happened before he had the chance to talk with the Eagles about his new deal.

Following a tumultuous exit from the New York Giants, the running back is joining an NFC East rival ready to dominate Big Blue and win the division after their dramatic collapse last season.

Barkley can impact the game even more than he did in New York with the Eagles offensive line. This team can make a lot of noise next season by making Barkley the focal point of their offense.

It’s too early to know the NFL’s verdict on this situation, but Barkley’s camp doesn’t seem to be too worried about it.