Aqib Talib made his bed. Now he might have to lie in it.
Talib admitted after the Denver Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 on Sunday that he intentionally grabbed Corey Brown’s facemask and ripped the wide receiver down to the ground inside the 5-yard line on a violent first-half play. It was a conscious decision geared toward preventing a touchdown — it did momentarily — but it could cost Talib time next season.
A source with knowledge of the situation told ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio that the NFL will consider suspending Talib for his actions. The league reportedly will examine Talib’s conduct within the confines of the normal course of postgame evaluations. The Broncos cornerback’s history and comments regarding the intentional nature of the infraction reportedly will be considered, too.
Basically, Talib intentionally put a player’s health at risk upon realizing that a facemask penalty would have a minimal impact in terms of field position. With the NFL prioritizing player safety in recent years, turning a blind eye to the incident undoubtedly would raise questions, especially given how candid Talib was about the situation after the Broncos’ victory.
Thumbnail photo via Kelley L Cox/USA TODAY Sports Images
