Dallas police investigating who shot Aqib Talib in Dallas this summer believe they’ve found the culprit: and he’s called Aqib Talib.
The Broncos cornerback was shot in the leg in an early-morning incident on 5 June, and was taken to hospital. Talib said he couldn’t remember who had shot him, but after a lengthy investigation police have concluded Talib himself fired the gun. Dallas police said Talib’s attorney had provided a letter “that stated Aqib Talib admitted he shot himself accidentally.” But they’re continuing to investigate, they said.
Reports in Dallas suggested police will not press charges against Talib, but he could still face punishment from the NFL under the league’s personal conduct policy.
On Wednesday, Talib said: “I’m not really worried about anything except for Atlanta right now.
“When I heard that report yesterday, I immediately got on my iPad and started watching Julio Jones,” he said. “I cannot even worry about it. I got my hands full with enough already. Like I said, it’s still under review. I’m not really going to talk about that right now.”
Talib, 30, avoided surgery and was released from the hospital the following day. The incident forced him to miss the Broncos’ visit to the White House to commemorate their Super Bowl 50 victory.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told the Associated Press on Wednesday that Talib’s case “is under review of the personal conduct policy.” Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, could yet decide to hand down a punishment.
Talib, who has been involved in incidents with guns in the past, told police he was too drunk to recall details of the shooting. “Everything was a blur,” he reportedly said. According to the police report, Talib said he didn’t know who shot him and that the bullet “entered into the rear of his right thigh then exited his right calf”.
Coach Gary Kubiak said on Wednesday the Broncos are “just moving forward, he’s playing great, obviously having a heck of a year and (we’re) expecting him to keep going.”
Team-mates aren’t fretting either, suggested cornerback Chris Harris Jr.
“That’s a weird situation,” Harris said. “You never know what’s going to happen. You never know what the NFL’s going to do anytime, with any situation. Right now, he’s not in jail. So, I mean, what can you do if he didn’t go to jail? He didn’t do anything wrong.”
After a three-month layoff, Talib returned to the field on 8 August. He’s started all four of Denver’s games and has three interceptions, one shy of his total from 2015 when he earned his third consecutive Pro Bowl berth.
The Broncos, who are perfect through week four, host the Atlanta Falcons (3-1) on Sunday.
