Brother of ex-NFL star Aqib Talib’s pleads guilty to murder, prosecutors say

DALLAS (AP) — The brother of retired NFL cornerback Aqib Talib has pleaded guilty to murder in the 2022 shooting death of a coach at a youth football game in Texas, prosecutors said.

Yaqub Salik Talib, 40, pleaded guilty Thursday to the charge in the shooting of 43-year-old Michael Hickmon, according to Claire Crouch, a spokesperson for the Dallas County District Attorney’s office. She said Talib agreed to a sentence of 37 years in prison and that he will be sentenced in August.

A lawyer for Talib did not immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment Friday.

Last August, police said witnesses saw Talib pull out a gun and repeatedly shoot Hickmon during a brawl among adults at a youth football game in the Dallas suburb of Lancaster. Police said the fight was prompted by a disagreement between the opposing coaching staffs over calls made by the officiating crew, but an official with one of the teams later said it began when Hickmon went to pick up a football and someone kicked it away.

The sons of both Talib brothers played on one of the teams and Hickmon’s son played on the other, according to The Dallas Morning News.

Yaqub Talib left the field following the shooting and later turned himself in to police. His lawyer said at the time that his client “regrets the tragic loss of life” but was surrendering to “have the chance to say his side of the story.”

Aqib Talib is a five-time Pro Bowler who announced his retirement in 2020. He was named last year as a contributor for Prime Video’s “Thursday Night Football” but left the role following the shooting.