XFL Dallas Renegades

T.J. Barnes Closes Football Journey with XFL Championship

Published on August 16, 2023 under XFL (XFL)
Dallas Renegades News Release


In the final seconds of the third quarter of the XFL Championship Game, Arlington Renegades defensive lineman T.J. Barnes decided to strike a pose.

In raising his right fist to the air as if he were in a wrestling ring, he was paying homage to his childhood idol Dwayne Johnson, who just happens to be a co-owner of the XFL. It was an opportunity that was too good to pass up.

"To think about where I was a year ago to where I am now, it's something I didn't think would even be possible," Barnes said.

Barnes' sack of D.C. Defenders quarterback Jordan Ta'amu, which prompted the aforementioned celebration, was one of many key defensive stops down the stretch, helping the Renegades hold off the Defenders for a 35-26 victory in the 2023 XFL Championship Game on May 13 at The Alamodome in San Antonio.

Now, after a long journey back to the playing field and a standout season that saw him grade out as one of the XFL's top interior defenders, Barnes is officially retired from professional football.

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After college at Georgia Tech, Barnes saw action in 21 NFL games with the New York Jets (2014-15), Buffalo Bills (2015), and Kansas City Chiefs (2016). He was out of football for more than a year before returning to play two spring football seasons - with Atlanta of the AAF in 2019 and New York of the XFL in 2020. He then spent the better part of the next two years away from the game, holding down a number of odd jobs in between while thinking he would never return.

The sign he received came in the form of tragedy following the passing of his best friend, Bryant McGowan. Barnes and McGowan, who himself was a college football player at West Alabama, had been side-by-side with each other throughout their respective football journeys. On the day of McGowan's funeral in August 2022, Barnes received an invitation to enter the XFL Draft.

"That just changed my mindset," Barnes said. "He was a brother that I could go through life with. To lose him like that was really heartbreaking."

Barnes weighed 425 pounds when he received a call from Renegades co-defensive coordinator Jay Hayes during the XFL Draft in November 2022, informing him that the team was set to call his name. Far from an ideal playing weight, Barnes was still unsure if he wanted to return to football. It wasn't until around Thanksgiving that he decided to go all in. What followed were many grueling weeks in the lead-up to XFL Training Camp.

"I committed myself to losing the weight," Barnes said. "It was really tough. December was hell for me, but I really wanted to play. I wanted to make my friend proud. And I wanted to go out there and show that I had something left in the tank."

Barnes dropped a total of 68 pounds and was listed at 6-foot-6, 369 pounds at the start of Training Camp. Five months later, he and the Renegades were crowned XFL Champions.

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Despite receiving interest from NFL teams after the XFL season, Barnes is content with turning the page and moving on to the next chapter of his life. He and his family - wife Charlotte and daughters Zuri and Kennedy - reside in Charlotte, N.C.

Now that football is in the rearview mirror, Barnes is afforded much more time with his family, as he serves as a full-time father and husband in addition to his career as a software developer. His oldest daughter, Zuri, will be starting kindergarten this school year.

"I don't want to watch my daughters grow up over FaceTime," he said. "I knew what was more important for me at the end of the day. I knew what my calling was and who needed me more."

Barnes' professional journey, which began as an undrafted NFL rookie in 2013, came to a conclusion 10 years later as an XFL Champion in 2023. The XFL, which he describes as "an incredible tool" for players looking to make it to the next level, provided one of the most memorable stops on that journey.

"I've been able to do all these incredible things in the NFL," he said. "I've played in London and balled out on Monday Night Football. But I never had the chance to go to the playoffs and win a Championship as an underdog. That was the cherry on top, so the XFL is definitely number one for me."

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