Traci Lynn Johnson: Fiance Latest Reason Tiki Barber Obsession Will Never End

The only thing people love more than a celebrity is an embattled celebrity.

The reason for this will probably forever remain obscure to your humble narrator, but I can’t help but notice that former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber makes for a fascinating case study. Barber was once one of the best running backs in the NFL, but a variety of developments in the last couple of years have helped turn into one of the sports world’s most prominent villains.

Arguably the biggest reason so many people have turned against Barber is his relationship with Traci Lynn Johnson, a former NBC intern. The two met after Barber retired from the NFL in 2006 and then tried to forge a career in television. Barber liked her enough to leave his wife, while she was pregnant with twins no less.

He also apparently likes Johnson enough to tie the knot with her. Last week, the New York Post reported that the 36-year-old Barber proposed to Johnson, who is 24, and that she had said yes.

For all those who were disgusted with Barber for leaving his wife in the first place, this is yet another development in Barber’s life that is not going to sit well. It’s also an issue from a legal perspective, as Barber’s divorce from his wife, Ginny, is not yet final.

Essentially, what we have here is a sticky situation that could drag on for a while. Barber will thus remain embattled until further notice.

This wouldn’t necessarily have to be a catastrophe, but it would take something positive in Barber’s life to serve as a distraction. The problem is that there’s no such thing to be found. His TV career is on the fritz, and his ill-conceived comeback attempt resulted in a single workout. So far as we know, no contracts were offered, and Barber remains unsigned.

So in terms of things that are in the public spotlight, Barber’s pending marriage to Johnson is really all there is. Lest you think that’s not really a big deal, you can rest assured that the media will bring it up quite often.

Will it all be totally overblown? Of course it will. For one, this is the media we’re talking about. For two, we’re talking about a has-been whose brightest days are long gone. Barber is barely worth talking about, if at all.

But that’s not going to stop the flow of information, the bulk of which will barely qualify as news. It’s coming, make no mistake about that. And for good or ill, people will eat it up.

I don’t know about you, but I’ll side with ill.