Goodell’s Next Move On Talib
June 20th, 2012One would think that the State of Texas dismissing charges against Aqib Talib this week should lead NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to wash his hands of Talib and let the Bucs know that no suspension for Talib is forthcoming.
However, Goodell is not necessarily a man of reason and consistency, as anyone following the current Saints scandal and past NFL suspensions knows too well.
So there is no reason to believe Goodell will do the honorable thing and pass on punishing Talib for the Jerry Springereque happenings among Talib’s family members last year in Texas.
Goodell’s got nothing on Talib anymore, optimistic fans might say, but Joe’s not so sure if Goodell will see it that way.
At some point, and Joe has no clue as to when, the video of Talib’s interview with police on March 25, 2011, will become public record. And in that interview, per the arrest affidavit, Talib admits to lying to police about the whereabouts of his girlfriend on the day of the Texas incident. The statement that Talib “admitted that he had lied to detectives” comes from the written arrest affidavit, and that surely could be the police getting it wrong or misrepresenting Talib’s words when they transcribed the video.
But if Talib did lie to cops, is that enough for Goodell to suspend him?
The point is Joe’s wondering how deep Goodell will probe to find a reason to suspend Talib. Hell, Goodell might just suspend Talib for failing to call 911 and leaving the scene of a shooting that was clearly a crime scene.
The Tampa Bay Times sought comment yesterday from Goodell on whether he will suspend Talib. The response the newspaper got was that it’s still under review. Joe’s just afraid the review is merely an effort to find a widely tolerable reason to suspend Talib, rather than a fact-finding mission.