Morris shoots down report that Talib is out in Tampa

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Raheem Morris talks to the coaches overhead during play against the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park in San Francisco on November 21, 2010. The Bucs defeated the 49ers 21-0. UPI/Terry Schmitt

Bucs’ head coach Raheem Morris refuted a St. Petersburg Times report that the team has already decided to move on from troubled cornerback Aqib Talib.

“Just to say that we’ve come out and made a decision about what’s going to happen with Aqib Talib’s future is completely false and bad information,” Morris said.

“The NFL has a discipline policy for our players that is also part of the collective bargaining agreement. Discipline throughout the league and off-the-field issues are always handled through the league office,” Morris said. “There are extra things internally that we do. We might fine people, we may take money, we may sit you out of practice, we may sit you out of games, we may not allow you to participate in certain things.

“The public stuff and the public knowledge is always handed down by the NFL, usually. Right now, the guy has not been judged. Once he gets judged, I’m sure the NFL, or whatever happens there, will step into play. Then we will step into play also.”

This is smart on Morris’ part. You don’t want to even suggest that you’re going to cut a guy that hasn’t been proven guilty of anything (even though the odds are clearly stacked against Talib). If Morris and the Bucs did, they would be inviting the media and fans to scrutinize their decision-making.

If or when Talib is found guilty and the NFL makes a decision on his future, then Morris and the Bucs can get involved. Until then, Morris has it right: We (Bucs) haven’t made a decision about anything regarding Aqib Talib.

Follow the Scores Report editors on Twitter @clevelandteams and @bullzeyedotcom.

Bucs to release troubled corner Aqib Talib?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Aqib Talib intercepts the ball on a pass meant for Washington Redskins Malcolm Kelly (12) in the second quarter during their NFL football game in Landover, Maryland October 4, 2009. REUTERS/Molly Riley (UNITED STATES SPORT FOOTBALL)

According to the St. Petersburg Times, the Bucs are expected to release troubled cornerback Aqib Talib, who is currently being investigated for a shooting dating back to last month.

Barring a last-minute change of heart — or perhaps his exoneration — the Bucs are expected to release troubled CB Aqib Talib.

Only the lockout, which prevents teams from making transactions, has prevented Tampa Bay from already cutting ties with its 2008 first-round draft pick.

As the paper points out, Talib was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in a March 21 shooting in Texas, which is a second-degree felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison. Police say the cornerback fired a gun at his sister’s 40-year-old boyfriend, although Talib has denied the accusation via his attorneys.

Talib has also been involved in several other off-field incidents, including fighting a teammate at the NFL rookie symposium. In 2009, he swung a helmet at offensive tackle Donald Penn during an argument and inadvertently struck cornerback Torrie Cox, which caused a gash. In 2010, Talib agreed to a deal with prosecutors to resolve a battery charge after he was accused of striking a St. Petersburg car driver. The incident caused NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to take action, suspending the cornerback for the first game of the regular season.

Even though the St. Petersburg Times is a reputable source, it’s important to allow the situation to play out. Often times a report like this will come out and the team will deny it the very next day (or several hours later in some cases). I have no doubt that the Bucs are considering releasing Talib, but he’s one of few shutdown corners in the league and he’s only 25. If he’s exonerated or given probation (which is likely considering he’s an athlete and the same laws don’t seem to apply to athletes as they do to regular folk), then there’s reason to believe that Tampa will keep him around.

But if they do decide to cut bait and move on, it would be hard to blame their rationale.

Police issue felony warrants for the arrests of Aqib Talib and his mother

Tampa Bay Buccaneers corner back Aqib Talib (R) runs after intercepting a pass meant for Washington Redskins Santana Moss (89) during 4th quarter of their NFL football game in Landover, Maryland October 4, 2009. REUTERS/Andrew Cameron (UNITED STATES SPORT FOOTBALL)

Texas police have issued felony warrants for the arrests of Bucs’ cornerback Aqib Talib and his mother, Okolo “Momma Be Packin’ Heat” Talib. (I’m kidding – that’s not her real nickname. I actually don’t know what her real nickname is. Probably “O” or something.)

According to the St. Petersburg Times, Talib could face five to 20 years in prison after he turns himself in for the second-degree felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Talib’s mother was also charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and surrendered to police on Tuesday. The warrants stem from an incident that occurred on March 21 in which Talib allegedly opened fire on his sister’s boyfriend outside her home in Texas.

As I wrote yesterday when this news first broke, it sounds like Talib was trying to defend his family. He and his mother do have the right to bear arms (assuming the weapons were registered, of course) and if he felt that his life or the lives of those around him were in danger then maybe he should have fired the gun. Who knows? I wasn’t there and therefore can’t pass judgment.

That said, Talib is fortunate that he didn’t kill an innocent bystander by firing the weapon while trying to hit his sister’s boyfriend. He may wind up going to jail a la Michael Vick and Plaxico Burress because he didn’t think before he reacted. (Again though, I wasn’t there so I’m just basing everything off the published reports.)

We’ll see how everything plays out but this kid is in some serious trouble. Whether or not he broke any laws and will face punishment in court is uncertain at this point. But the NFL will monitor the situation and if he is charged, Talib can expect a suspension.

Bucs’ Talib involved in a possible second-degree felony shooting incident

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Aqib Talib intercepts the ball on a pass meant for Washington Redskins Malcolm Kelly (12) in the second quarter during their NFL football game in Landover, Maryland October 4, 2009. REUTERS/Molly Riley (UNITED STATES SPORT FOOTBALL)

According to a report by the Dallas Observer, Buccaneers’ cornerback Aqib Talib has lawyered up after an incident occurred on March 21 involving his sister Saran, his mother Okolo, his sister’s classy boyfriend Shannon Billings, two guns and at least five shots fired. Details are below.

According to the report and the sources, at 7:30 p.m. on March 21 Aqib Muttaqi Talib went to his sister’s home in the 900 block of Green Pond Drive in Garland (south of Bush Turnpike not far from Spring Creek Elementary and Hawaiian Falls Water Park). Saran, who was arguing with Billings, also called her mother for help. Police were directed to Saran’s home via a 911 call by neighbors, who reported a domestic dispute and three shots fired at a black male by a black female. According to the report, police arrived to find Billings standing in front of a nearby residence. While interviewing him, officers discovered Billings was a suspect in two pending, related, family-violence offenses involving Saran and arrested him.

When initially questioned, both Saran and Okolo Talib said they knew nothing of an earlier incident at the house. Billings, however, led police to a gun he said belonged to Aqib that Billings had thrown in a neighbor’s trash can after escaping his struggle with the player. After finding the weapon and calling forensic investigators to retrieve numerous spent shell casings in the street, officers took a statement from Billings.

According to the report, Billings said Aqib produced a handgun and “attempted to strike him in the face.” During the ensuing skirmish Talib dropped the gun and Billings picked it up and began runnning, prompting Okolo to produce a gun and fire three shots toward him. Billings told police that Talib then took Okolo’s gun, said “I’ll shoot him” and fired at least two shots before Billings safely ducked into nearby woods. Neighborhood witnesses corroborated Billings’ story.

It sounds like Talib was trying to defend his sister from her violent boyfriend, which is admirable. But if the above report is accurate, there didn’t seem to be the need for Talib to open fire on Billings (who was fleeing the scene). I get the idea of trying to protect your family but you still have to use your head. Pending an investigation, he could now be arrested and charged with anything from discharging a firearm within a municipality (class A misdemeanor) to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (second-degree felony). Furthermore, what if an innocent bystander got hit by one of Talib’s bullets? Obviously he doesn’t have the best aim, so he could have killed someone other than Billings. If he’s going to fire a gun (or his mother’s gun for that matter), he needs to be more responsible.

But hey, I wasn’t there. I’m just going off of what the report says. Maybe Talib felt provoked and fired the gun because he believed everyone’s life was in danger. Maybe he didn’t even fire the gun and Billings is lying. Talib does have the right to bear arms in this country and until more details come out, we (I) shouldn’t pass judgment.

That said, this isn’t the first time Talib has gotten into trouble since being drafted in 2008, so he’s forfeited the right to receive the benefit of the doubt in this situation. If he is charged with a crime, the NFL will surely suspend him, which will be yet another hit to his promising career. According to the Observer, he and his mother aren’t cooperating with investigators so things don’t presently look good for the corner (even if he is only a person of interest).

Bucs partly to blame for Aqib Talib’s latest mistake

ATLANTA - DECEMBER 14: Cornerback Aqib Talib #25 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers watches play against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome on December 14, 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia.  (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

If Buccaneers’ cornerback Aqib Talib faces further punishment for attending Tampa Bay’s game against the Browns last Sunday, then the team needs to hold itself partly accountable.

Talib was suspended for violating the league’s personal conduct policy and apparently, the suspension prohibited him from participating in any team activities, which included attending Sunday’s game.

So imagine the NFL’s surprise when it found out that Talib watched the game not from the comforts of his own home, but from his personal suite at Raymond James Stadium. He now faces more punishment, although it’s unclear at this point what that’ll be.

Granted, Talib probably should have known that he couldn’t be at the stadium while he was suspended. But the Bucs are well aware that this kid isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, so I’m wondering why someone with the team didn’t tell him to quietly sneak out the back door when they saw him sitting there watching the game. There surely had to have been someone affiliated with the team that saw Talib and said, “Hey, what a minute…”

Again, Talib doesn’t escape criticism for what can only be described as another dumb decision among multiple dumb decisions that he’s made since arriving to the NFL. But this one is on the Bucs.

Related Posts