Aqib Talib

Aqib Talib (born February 13, 1986) is an American football cornerback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He was a member of the Broncos Super Bowl 50 win over the Carolina Panthers. He played college football at Kansas, where he received unanimous All-American honors. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Talib has also played for the New England Patriots.

Early years

Aqib Talib was born in Cleveland, Ohio to Theodore and Donna Henry. Donna had converted to Islam and gave her four children Muslim names: Saran, Kai, Yaqub, and Aqib. Aqib means "the last one" in Arabic; Aqib was so named as he was the youngest of the four children. His last name, Talib, means "student." Aqib's parents divorced at a young age, and he followed his mother to Texas to start the eighth grade.^[1][2] He then attended Berkner High School in Richardson, Texas, and lettered in football, basketball, and track. In football, as a senior, he was named the Berkner High School's Defensive Back of the Year while garnering first-team all-district and first-team all-city honors. In track, he was a member of the 4 × 100m (43.05) and 4 × 200m (1:32.77) relay squads.

As a college football prospect during his senior year, he was rated 2 stars by Rivals.com. He was recruited by Kansas, Kansas State, Wyoming, Tulsa, Arizona, and Baylor. He chose to sign a National Letter of Intent to play for Kansas.^[3]

College career

Talib attended the University of Kansas, where he played for the Kansas Jayhawks football team from 2005 to 2007.

2007 season

Talib established himself as one of the best defensive college football players in the country as a junior, and was recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American. He also continued to play sparingly as a wide receiver, catching four touchdown passes through the first nine games. Against rival Kansas State, Talib preserved a victory by intercepting a Josh Freeman pass in the final moments of the game. He has also returned an interception 102 yards for a touchdown against Florida International. After the season, Talib was a unanimous All-American selection.^[4]

In the 2008 Orange Bowl against Virginia Tech, Talib returned an interception for a touchdown and was named the game's Most Valuable Player. He announced on January 6, 2008 that he would forgo his senior season and enter the 2008 NFL Draft.^[5]

Professional career

Pre-draft

As one of the nation's top cornerback prospects, Talib received an invitation to the 2008 NFL Combine, held at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana. Talib's results included posting a 38-inch vertical leap, running a 4.44-second 40-yard dash and a 6.82-second 3 cone drill, bench pressing 225 pounds 10 times and notching a standing broad jump of 10 feet, 11 inches.^[6]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Talib was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the 20th pick in the 2008 NFL Draft,^[7] becoming the first KU player to be drafted in the first round since 1993 (Dana Stubblefield, 26th overall by the San Francisco 49ers). Talib also became the second cornerback ever taken by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round (Rod Jones, 1986 NFL Draft)^[8]

2010 season

In 2010 Talib had six interceptions, one which he returned for a touchdown. However, in a week 13 game against the Atlanta Falcons he injured his hip in which a tendon tore from his bone which ended his season. At the time of his injury he was tied for second in the NFL in interceptions with 6. Ed Reed would lead all defensive backs with a total of 8.^[9][10]

After the 2010 season, Aqib Talib was named Defensive Back of the Year by the NFL Alumni Association.^[11][12]

New England Patriots

Talib in the 2013 postseason, while with the Patriots.

2012 season

Talib was suspended by the NFL on October 13, 2012 for four games for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances. Talib released a statement saying his suspension was a result of testing positive for Adderall: "Around the beginning of training camp, I made a mistake by taking an Adderall pill without a prescription."^[13] The Buccaneers traded Talib along with a seventh round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft for a fourth round pick from the New England Patriots on November 1, 2012.^[14] Talib's suspension was lifted on November 12, 2012. In his first game with the New England Patriots on November 18, 2012 he returned an intercepted pass from Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Andrew Luck 59 yards for a touchdown.

2013 season

On March 16, 2013, Talib signed a one-year contract with the Patriots.^[15] In his first four games, he recorded four interceptions, which included an impressive performance against the New York Jets in which he accumulated 2 interceptions and a forced fumble, paving the way for a 13-10 Patriots win. Against the Buccaneers, Talib recorded an interception in a 23-3 win over his former team. In a 30-23 Patriots win over the Atlanta Falcons, Talib covered star wideout Julio Jones and defended 4 passes with 1 interception. Talib began to receive attention as one of the league's best cornerbacks when he covered star tight end Jimmy Graham of the New Orleans Saints in a highly anticipated matchup. Talib held Graham to 0 receptions, his first game without a catch since his rookie year of 2010. In the AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos, Talib injured his hip in the 2nd quarter, leaving the game and never returning. Talib finished the regular season with 35 total tackles, four interceptions, and 14 passes defensed over the 13 games he appeared in. Talib's 2013 performance was good enough for a selection to the 2013 Pro Bowl and a second team nod to the 2013 All-Pro Team at cornerback, both of which were his first career selections.

Denver Broncos

2014 season

On March 11, 2014, Talib signed a six-year, $57 million contract, including $26 million guaranteed, with the Denver Broncos.^[16]

2015 season

On September 13, 2015, Talib picked off Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco and returned the ball 51 yards for a touchdown. In the next game, on Thursday Night Football, he intercepted Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith in the second quarter to set up a game-tying touchdown. After trailing 14–0, Denver would go on to win 31–24.

On November 8, 2015, Talib poked the eye of Indianapolis Colts tight end Dwayne Allen late in the 4th quarter of the Broncos' 27–24 loss. The Broncos were assessed a 15-yard penalty with the Colts receiving a new set of downs, essentially ending any chance that the Broncos had to come back to win the game. Talib was later suspended one game for the incident.^[17]

During the AFC Championship game on January 24, 2016, between the Broncos and the Patriots, Talib tipped a two-point conversion pass by Tom Brady which the Broncos intercepted in the end zone. This preserved a 20–18 lead late in the 4th quarter. The Broncos would go on to win with that same score and advance to Super Bowl 50.^[18]

His first appearance in Super Bowl included a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for taunting and a 15-yard personal foul penalty for grabbing the face mask of an opponent in the first half. On the latter penalty, Talib viciously threw down Carolina wide receiver Corey Brown by his face mask. Later, Talib admitted to reporters that he committed the face-mask penalty on purpose. The Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers 24-10 in Super Bowl 50. Overall, Talib finished the game with 5 tackles and 2 passes defended. After the Super Bowl, Talib was fined $26,044 for intentional face-mask and taunting the opponent.^[19]

NFL stats

^[20]

Legal problems and incidents

Talib has had several conduct related issues since his NFL career started. At the NFL rookie symposium in July 2008, Talib was involved in a fistfight with fellow Buccaneers rookie Cory Boyd.^[21] On August 20, 2009, Talib allegedly battered a taxi driver,^[22] and he was arrested by Florida Highway Patrol and booked into the Pinellas County jail, charged with resisting arrest without violence and simple battery.^[23] In March 2011, police in Garland, Texas issued a felony warrant for Talib for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after accusing him of firing a gun at his sister's boyfriend.^[24] He was later released on $25,000 bond. Talib was indicted on the charge in May 2011.^[25] On June 18, 2012, the charges were dropped due to insufficient evidence and character concerns with the accuser.^[26]

In the 2015 season, Talib faced a number of penalties by the NFL including a 1-game suspension for jabbing the eye of Dwayne Allen, tight end for the Indianapolis Colts, in week 9 of the NFL regular season. Later that year, during Super Bowl 50, Talib was called for two personal fouls. One was a face mask on Corey "Philly" Brown, where Talib tore Brown to the ground violently by the facemask. Another was a confrontation against Ted Ginn Jr., where Talib claimed Ginn was running his mouth after a play. Because of this, the NFL fined Talib $26,044.

In the early morning of June 5, 2016, Talib was shot in the leg outside a Dallas strip club. He was released from the hospital the same day. ^[27] It was later revealed that Talib falsified the report, having actually shot himself in the leg and lied to police. ^[28]

See also

No Fly Zone

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aqib Talib.

• NFL Draft Scout profile
• Kansas Jayhawks bio
• Denver Broncos bio
• New England Patriots bio
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers bio