The Los Angeles Rams have been fortunate enough to have their fair share of high-football IQ veterans come through their program and help them win at the highest levels.
The Rams saw stalwart left tackle Andrew Whitworth finally retire on top after the team excitingly won Super Bowl LVI, and now he finds himself in the broadcast booth as an analyst. Another former veteran Aqib Talib also made his way to television, having appeared in several broadcasts for Fox Sports.
Talib agreed to become an analyst for Amazon’s “Thursday Night Football” crew alongside Whitworth and Kaylee Hartung, but after a tragic incident involving his brother Yaqub Talib, he has decided to step away from the position according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network:
Just spoke to Aqib Talib. In light of the recent tragedy, he is going to step aside from his broadcasting duties at Amazon to spend time with his family.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 22, 2022
Earlier in August, the Talib brothers were involved in an altercation during a youth football game they were coaching in Lancaster, Texas. Aqib allegedly threw a punch at opposing head coach Mike Hickmon, and that escalated the situation. According to a police report, Yaqub shot Hickmon, who later died in a nearby hospital due to the three gunshot wounds he sustained.
Yaqub eventually turned himself in to the police on Aug. 15 after a murder warrant was put out for his arrest. Aqib has not been charged with anything but released a statement via his legal representation lamenting the situation.
This is another example of non-sensical gun violence that could have been avoided, but for now, expect Aqib to stay off the air for the foreseeable future.
