Bucs CB Talib faces assault trial in March, attorney says

Aqib Talib had his assault trial scheduled for March 26, 2012, his attorney told the St. Petersburg Times, increasing the chances that the troubled Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback might not miss any playing time this season.

Police in Garland, Texas, charged Talib with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, stemming from a March 21 domestic incident. The second-degree felony is punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison, and Talib is out of jail on $25,000 bond.

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Talib attended the Bucs' player-run minicamp workout this week in Bradenton, Fla. He could be subject to discipline from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who doesn't have to wait for a court ruling to punish Talib under the league's personal-conduct policy.

Talib seemingly has been in trouble ever since he entered the league. He was involved in a fight with fellow Bucs rookie Cory Boyd at the 2008 NFL Rookie Symposium, hit teammate Torrie Cox in the face with his helmet while scuffling with Donald Penn during a minicamp workout in May 2009, and was charged with simple battery and resisting arrest in connection with an assault on a taxi driver in Tampa in August 2009. Talib received a one-game suspension for the latter incident.

But Talib, a starter since the Bucs drafted him in the first round, has done well on the field, intercepting 15 passes in his three NFL seasons. He's coming off a fine 2010 campaign in which he had 50 tackles, 11 passes defended and six picks, one returned for a touchdown.

Talib isn't the only Bucs defensive back who has experienced off-the-field issues. Safety Tanard Jackson received a one-year suspension for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy last season and isn't eligible to return until Sept. 22.

Jackson joined Talib on the field for this week's workouts and was happy to see his teammates for the first time since the suspension started.

"It's good to be back," Jackson told the Tampa Tribune on Wednesday. "(I've) just been trying to stay in shape and doing what I can do. There's not much that I can do with this lockout and being in the situation that I was in."

Said Talib: "That's my guy. He's out here. That's always good."

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Still in the fold: Troubled Talib works out with Bucs mates

BRADENTON, Fla. -- Cornerback Aqib Talib, who was indicted on an aggravated assault weapon charge for a March incident in Texas, was at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' minicamp workout Tuesday.

Talib's attendance is nothing new. The fourth-year pro has attended several player-organized workouts.

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Talib's lawyer recently said the case against his client likely won't be resolved until after the 2011 season unless there is a plea agreement or dismissal.

"Right now, if I requested a trial, it would be late November at the earliest and most likely it would be next year," Frank Perez told the St. Petersburg Times in a story published June 19.

The Times reported Perez has had several meetings with the Dallas County district attorney, and another announcement hearing is scheduled for Thursday, at which point he said he will present evidence that is "favorable" to Talib and ask to either set a trial or have the charges dismissed.

"I don't like the case if I'm the district attorney," Perez said. "We feel very, very strongly Aqib is going to prevail in this. There's nothing to this case. I can't tell you now, but I'm confident we've got something that's going to turn the tide of public opinion."

It's not the first time that Talib, who's free on $25,000 bond, has been in trouble. He was involved in a fight with fellow Bucs rookie Cory Boyd at the 2008 NFL Rookie Symposium, hit teammate Torrie Cox in the face with his helmet while scuffling with Donald Penn during a minicamp workout in May 2009, and was charged with simple battery and resisting arrest in connection with an assault on a taxi driver in Tampa in August 2009.

But Talib, a starter since the Bucs took him in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft, has done well on the field, intercepting 15 passes in his three NFL seasons. He's coming off a fine 2010 campaign in which he had 50 tackles, 11 passes defended and six picks, one returned for a touchdown.

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Winslow says Bucs need troubled CB Talib for Super Bowl run

Kellen Winslow believes the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can contend for the Super Bowl championship next season. To do so, however, they'll need to keep Aqib Talib, even after the cornerback's latest legal trouble.

"We need that guy to win," Winslow told NFL.com on Friday. "Talking about Super Bowls -- we need him really more than anyone besides (quarterback Josh) Freeman. He's that good. He locks down receivers. He's got to iron out what he's got to iron out, but we need him as much as anybody."

The tight end reiterated that point a few hours later on NFL Network's "NFL Total Access," saying Talib is "too talented to let go" and citing the cornerback's close relationship with Bucs coach Raheem Morris as a reason he might stay, despite speculation that the team is ready to cut ties after the lockout ends.

"Hopefully his situation gets worked out, and we can move on," Winslow said.

That situation is an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge that Talib faces in Garland, Texas. Police say Talib fired a gun at and pistol-whipped his sister's boyfriend during a March 21 domestic dispute, and a Dallas County grand jury handed down an indictment last week.

It's not the first time that Talib, who's free on $25,000 bond, has been in trouble. He was involved in a fight with fellow Bucs rookie Cory Boyd at the 2008 NFL Rookie Symposium, hit teammate Torrie Cox in the face with his helmet while scuffling with Donald Penn during a minicamp workout in May 2009, and was charged with simple battery and resisting arrest in connection with an assault on a taxi driver in Tampa in August 2009.

But Talib, a starter since the Bucs took him in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft, has done well on the field, intercepting 15 passes in his three NFL seasons. He's coming off a fine 2010 campaign in which he had 50 tackles, 11 passes defensed and six picks, one returned for a touchdown.

That has led to support from Winslow and five-time Pro Bowl cornerback Ronde Barber who called Talib "a great teammate" in a recent interview with PewterReport.com.

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Barber: Bucs 'somewhat responsible' for aiding troubled Talib

Ronde Barber is backing Aqib Talib, telling a website the troubled Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback is "a great teammate ... a fun-loving, kind of gregarious guy" and that the team is "somewhat responsible for him."

Talib, who's facing up to 20 years in prison on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge in Texas, "is complex," Barber told PewterReport.com.

"It is too easy to simplify somebody and say they are a thug, he had a bad upbringing and (all that)," said Barber, a five-time Pro Bowl and three-time All-Pro cornerback. "Some of that upbringing is part of what he is, but that is not who he is. I know him to be a great teammate. I know him to be a fun-loving, kind of gregarious guy. He likes to be the center of attention and he likes to have fun."

Talib, a starter since the Bucs took him in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft, is accused of firing a gun at and pistol-whipping his sister's boyfriend during a March 21 domestic dispute in Garland, Texas. A Dallas County grand jury handed down an indictment last week, and Talib is free on $25,000 bond.

It's not the first time that Talib has been in trouble. He was involved in a fight with fellow Bucs rookie Cory Boyd at the 2008 NFL Rookie Symposium, hit teammate Torrie Cox in the face with his helmet while fighting with Donald Penn during a minicamp workout in May 2009, and was charged with simple battery and resisting arrest in connection with an assault on a taxi driver in Tampa in August 2009.

Talib was suspended for last year's opener for the latter incident, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell could impose a lengthy suspension once the league's labor situation is solved.

"We're prepared (to play without Talib), but you don't ever want to play a season or even a game without that guy," Barber said. "He's that good. He changes things. He takes (receivers) away, and we've never had that in Tampa. He can literally take a guy away. ... Not only is he big, physical and fast, he's technically sound, which a lot of guys in this league just aren't. ...

"Optimistically, I am hoping that this all goes away and he's proven innocent. I can't speak for him because I wasn't there. None of us were there. I don't know what the hell happened. The courts will decide that, and Roger Goodell will decide if he has a suspension. ... (But) the beat has to keep playing. The band can't stop playing because the drummer gets hurt. Somebody has to step up and play."

Talib has intercepted 15 passes in his three NFL seasons and is coming off a fine campaign in which he had 50 tackles, 11 passes defensed and six picks, one returned for a touchdown. Barber calls Talib's football IQ "unbelievable" and says the cornerback "knows what he has to do on a football field. He just gets it. He understands it."

E.J. Biggers, who stepped in as Tampa Bay's starting left cornerback in five games last season when Talib was suspended and suffered a torn hip tendon in December, likely will receive the call if Talib is forced out of action. Also competing for playing time in the secondary are Myron Lewis and rookie Anthony Gaitor, a seventh-round draft pick out of Florida International.

The Bucs have acknowledged exasperation with Talib in the past.

"You know, Aqib is a very outgoing, outspoken young man," general manager Mark Dominik told The Tampa Tribune when Talib was arrested in August 2009. "He certainly needs to mature a lot more. That's what I'll say."

Said Barber: "You can tell him all you want, but people are who they are. People change because they want to change, but they don't change because people tell them to change. They don't change because they have positive influence around them at the office. Aqib doesn't go home with me. He doesn't go home with Raheem (Morris, the Bucs' coach). He's not going to dinner with (defensive backs coach) Jimmy Lake every night. He's not seeing that type of influence.

"You can't (keep saying), 'Aqib, you can't do that.' (He'll just say) 'I know. I (messed) up. My bad.' I don't know how many times he's said, 'My bad,' to me or Raheem. He understands. He understands the things he's doing wrong and that he should have had better judgment ... but that is how he is wired, man. However he grew up -– and I don't know how it was -– but he has that instinct to survive, and sometimes it can lead to him making bad decisions. You're always responsible for everything you get yourself into. If you are around good people, trouble usually doesn't find you."

Former Bucs defensive tackle Chris Hovan said last month the organization has given Talib "way too much leeway" and that "any other individual would have been cut way before this." Morris has refuted a report that Talib might be released, and Barber said letting the cornerback go would be the wrong move.

"I think you discredit the family-type atmosphere we have when you say, 'Just get rid of the guy,' " Barber said. "We drafted the guy. We are somewhat responsible for him. Yeah, he's had some issues, but he's a teammate. He's a teammate. I know it's professional and it's a business, but I don't want to see anything bad happen to him now or 20, 30 years from now."

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Report: Assault indictment expected for Bucs' Talib in Texas

Tampa Bay Buccaneeers cornerback Aqib Talib is expected to be indicted for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon by a Dallas County grand jury, the St. Petersburg Times reported Thursday, citing Texas law enforcement authorities.

Police say they believe Talib and his mother, Okolo Talib, shot at Shannon Billings, the boyfriend of the player's sister. Billings wasn't injured.

Talib -- who has denied wrongdoing -- is charged with assault with a deadly weapon, a second-degree felony that is punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison.

The March 21 incident wasn't the first brush with trouble for Talib, a first-round draft pick by the Bucs in 2008.

Talib was charged with simple battery and resisting arrest in connection with an assault on a taxi driver in Tampa in 2009. He was suspended by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for the 2010 season opener as punishment for that incident, and Talib settled out of court with the cab driver.

Talib's troubles date to 2008, when he was involved in a fight with fellow Bucs rookie Cory Boyd at the NFL Rookie Symposium. In May 2009, Talib wound up inadvertently hitting teammate Torrie Cox in the face with his helmet while fighting with Donald Penn during a minicamp workout.

The team has yet to take any disciplinary measures against Talib for the latest incident.

"We have not talked about that," Bucs coach Raheem Morris told WHBO-AM earlier this month. "That has not taken place. We will, but that time has not come yet."

Former Bucs defensive tackle Chris Hovan spoke out about Talib last month, saying he believed team management has been too lenient on his ex-teammate.

"(Talib) has been given too much leeway from Raheem Morris because, I guess, coach Morris (the Bucs' former secondary coach) has favoritism towards him because he played defensive back," said Hovan, who started all but one game for the Bucs between 2005 and 2009. "Again, they are giving this young man way too much leeway. Any other individual would have been cut way before this. But Aqib's got so much talent -- his talent goes through the ceiling. But you can't have these offseason issues and you can't keep covering for this kid because they're saying it's OK for what he is doing."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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