Last year, former NFL cornerback Aqib Talib and his brother Yaqub were arrested for inciting a brawl that ultimately led to the fatal shooting of youth football coach Mike Hickmon during a youth football game in Dallas County, Texas.
An opposing coach who witnessed the whole event went on Jason Whitlock’s show to discuss what all went down:
“Aqib incited the whole uproar. The game would’ve never been stopped had Aqib not come over to our sideline to yell at the refs.”
Witnesses state that Aqib went off after a flag was thrown on the nine-and-under team he sponsored, and he ran across the field and began to chew the refs out.
The opposing team’s defensive coordinator told Whitlock:
“That’s what was so weird. All of the tension was between them and the refs. There was no problem between the coaches. We all know each other. Kerry Lewis and Yaqub coached together.
I followed Aqib his 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.”
As the verbal altercation worsened, the game was cancelled. That’s when the 43-year-old man went to go grab a football that was near the Talib brothers, along with a few others.
The coach then began to pick up the ball, and Aqib swung on him, and the coach retaliated by hitting Aqib with a yardage marker.
As the brawl worsened, the coach tried to escape from the fight, and a few seconds later he dropped the yardage marker and five shots rang out, killing him.
The opposing coach continued:
“There’s no justification for having a weapon at a kids’ football game. It’s 90 degrees outside and you’re wearing a black hoodie. None of it makes sense. Our babies were all there. Yaqub’s kids were there. Mike’s kids.
Football fields are supposed to be a safe haven for these kids. This is where they go to get away from the street life.
They come here to feel safe. It’s not like that anymore.”
Both ultimately turned themselves in, and Yaqub was the one who was ultimately charged with murder.
With that being said, Yaqub has officially been sentenced to 37 years in prison for his role in the shooting death after today’s sentencing hearing.
Hickmon’s wife, sister, and college roommate all gave victim impact statements at the hearing.
This is truly a devastating situation all around, and it all could’ve easily been avoided.
