Witnesses to the tragic shooting of a youth football coach in Texas over the weekend claim that former NFL player Aqib Talib started the fight that occurred just before the fatal shooting.
On Monday, Talib’s brother, Yaqub Salik Talib, turned himself in after police issued a warrant for his arrest in connection with the shooting. While it was known that Aqib Talib was present at the game and a witness to the shooting, witnesses tell Jason Whitlock of The Blaze that the former player was the prime instigator of the fight that happened before the shooting.
“Aqib incited the whole uproar,” a coach for the opposing team told Whitlock. “The game would’ve never been stopped had Aqib not come over to our sideline to yell at the refs,” the man said.
According to the witnesses, Aqib Talib financed one of the teams involved in the game and the event itself. The trouble began, witnesses claim, when the referees threw a flag on the team, Talib was paying for.
“That’s what was so weird. All of the tension was between them and the refs,” the opposing team’s defensive coordinator said. The coach also pointed out that the Talib brothers, Mike Hickmon (the coach who was killed), and the other coaches, all knew each other.
“There was no problem between the coaches. We all know each other. Kerry Lewis and Yaqub have coached together. I followed Aqib’s whole career, starting at Kansas. The other thing is that it was their event. They were the hosts. They hired and paid the refs. The refs weren’t cheating for us,” the coach added.
Cooler heads did not prevail on that Saturday in Lancaster, Texas. After the bickering and threats against the officials failed to subside, the game was eventually called off. It was at that point, according to witnesses, that Hickmon made a fateful decision. He walked over to retrieve a ball from where it lay near the Talib brothers.
As he picked up the ball, Aqib Talib reportedly swung on the man. Coach Hickmon then hit Talib with a yard marker, and a fight ensued. This sequence of events seems to be corroborated by video posted by TMZ Sports earlier this week.
Hickmon was pursued by a group of at least five men and eventually shot.
Aqib Talib’s lawyer refutes the witnesses’ claims, calling them “inaccurate.”
Aqib Talib has not been charged with any crime related to this shooting.
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