Aqib Talib

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. 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, Talib was rated as a two-star prospect 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.

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 2007 season, Talib was a unanimous All-American selection.

In the 2008 Orange Bowl against Virginia Tech, Talib returned an interception for a touchdown on the very first offensive play of the game 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.

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.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Talib was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the 20th pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, becoming the first Kansas player to be drafted in the first round since 1993 when Dana Stubblefield was drafted 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)

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.

After the 2010 season, Talib was named Defensive Back of the Year by the NFL Alumni Association.

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." 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. 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. 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 four passes with one 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 in 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.

2014 season

On March 11, 2014, Talib signed a six-year, $57 million contract, including $26 million guaranteed, with the Denver Broncos joining his college teammate from Kansas, Chris Harris Jr..

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 fourth 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.

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 fourth quarter. The Broncos would go on to win with that same score and advance to Super Bowl 50.

His first appearance in the 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. Brown was in a position to score a touchdown, but Talib's actions stopped him before crossing the goal line. Later, Talib admitted to reporters that he committed the face-mask penalty on purpose. The Broncos won Super Bowl 50 over the Carolina Panthers by a score of 24–10.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 on Brown and taunting the opponent. Talib was ranked 34th on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.

2016 season

Talib had 12 pass deflections and three interceptions in 2016, including one returned 46-yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter in Week 2 against the Colts. It was his franchise record fifth interception return touchdown as a member of the Broncos. Despite missing three games due to injury, on December 20, Talib was named to the 2016 Pro Bowl and was named First-team All-Pro along with fellow Bronco cornerback Chris Harris Jr.

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. On August 20, 2009, Talib allegedly battered a taxi driver, and he was arrested by Florida Highway Patrol and booked into the Pinellas County jail, charged with resisting arrest without violence and simple battery. 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. He was later released on $25,000 bond. Talib was indicted on the charge in May 2011. On June 18, 2012, the charges were dropped due to insufficient evidence and character concerns with the accuser.

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. It was later revealed that Talib falsified the report, having actually shot himself in the leg and lied to police.