After Further Review …
August 7th, 2011
Maybe Joe should be less sensitive and more understanding of those in the media who work so hard to finger Aqib Talib as guilty and destined for a suspension.
But frankly, it drives Joe insane. Joe doesn’t get it. And Joe can’t let it go.
The following two paragraphs appeared in a Rick Stroud beat notebook on TampaBay.com Saturday night: Read it and then Joe will break it down.
Waiting for discipline: Despite the rhetoric coming from the Bucs, they expect commissioner Roger Goodell to levy harsh punishments to the handful of players who violated the personal conduct policy during the lockout.
That includes CB Aqib Talib, whose trial on charges of assault with a deadly weapon has been moved to March 2012. The hope is Goodell will wait until Talib has his day in court and allow for the presumption of innocence.
In the first paragraph from Stroud, he tells us the Bucs are saying one thing but believe another. Why not just call the team a bunch of lying spin masters and get it over with. That aside, it’s a setup to labeling Talib guilty of breaking league rules by saying the Bucs lump Talib among players that violated the league conduct policy during the lockout.
Really? Does anyone of sound mind and body believe the suits at One Buc Palace really consider Talib guilty?
Surely these high-ranking men studied the only available information about Talib’s assault with a deadly weapon case — it’s all right here for you — and walked away wondering whether Talib even used a gun or broke any law, let alone violated a nebulous league policy enforced by a power hungry hatchetman commissioner.
In a nutshell, Stroud’s latest here on the Talib beat is misleading. Not as misleading as reporting a super secret source at One Buc Palace said the Bucs have already decided to cut Talib, but a gadget play nonetheless.
August 7th, 2011 at 9:32 am
This Rick Stroud idiot is just writing an opinion and we all know what those are like. Rick’s opinions fore the most part, all stink. The beat writers in this town seem to have a very negative attitude toward the athletes that play for our local teams. They want to see Talib suspended whether he is guilty or not. This a common theme in our society today, judge the dude before he has even had his day in court. Any who believe all they read or hear in the media needs to pull their collective heads out of their ass and get a life.
Joe, I do not classify you in that group. Your articles always seem to be fair, balanced and well thought out. Keep up the good work.
August 7th, 2011 at 9:41 am
Don’t know if Joe is always so fair and balanced, but I’ll give you this Joe, you drive a point home like no other and you find a way to play fan yet it feels like you stay objective on the issues surrounding the team. Amazing really.
August 7th, 2011 at 9:41 am
The bucs are “spinmasters” or at least try to be.
August 7th, 2011 at 9:43 am
… This from the guy who endlessly claims a 10-6 young team is on the wrong track. Thanks for the laugh Thomas.
August 7th, 2011 at 9:51 am
Kirk: if you think that you can trust what is coming out of one buc, filtered by a former political spin-master, more than you can an experienced journalist like Rick Stroud – you need to take your head out of your a–.
Stroud is more pro-buc than con. The nflpa allows its players to be punished for “detrimental conduct” not criminal convictions. What is detrimental has been previously considered arrests. Goodell gets to do what he wants based on the power the nflpa gave him. Talib is a multi-time offender which counts against him. He also “clearly” lied to police.
August 7th, 2011 at 10:13 am
Thomas…How do you know Talib “clearly” lied to police? Were you there? Did you witness the incident? Are you sure the police report was accurate? Are you sure that because of Talib’s reputation, that the police didn’t embellish their report? How are you so sure he “clearly” lied? You seem to have judged him guilty, yet there has been no trial. Are you in favor of Talib not receiving his constitutional right of a fair and speedy trial because you feel he “clearly” lied?
You might want to remove the “truth” part of your user name. I don’t think you would know the truth if it bit you in the ass.
August 7th, 2011 at 10:17 am
I actually just read the whole police report that you provided Joe, and I’m not gunna lie, I’m really concerned now.
The last paragraph of the pdf says it all. Police were able to corroborate the boyfriend’s story with witnesses and evidence, but couldn’t corroborate aqib’s story with either. Not to mention, both of them lied to the police at a few given times.
I find it interesting that there were witnesses who saw this whole thing go down, but none who actually saw Aqib fire a weapon. But none the less this still stinks.
I think the bucs are supporting/defending Aqib in any and every way possible that they can. And you know what, I don’t have a problem with it, whether they lie (according to Stroud) or not about how they think this will all play out.
There is no sense in abandoning him right now, until a judgment is passed. And despite what the court of public opinion says in the st pete times, you are still innocent until proven guilty in this country.
I appreciate that this team/organization has each other’s backs, and that speaks to the family culture that the bucs are trying to instill. No family is full of perfect individuals, but you always always have each others backs if you are truly close. And because of this, I wish Rick Stroud would get off his high horse and see the forest beyond the trees.
August 7th, 2011 at 10:25 am
The police report is one side of the story. Will the report provided by the police hold up in court? Will the witness statements hold up in court? There is a lot in that report that concerns me, but I also wonder about the witness statements and how accurate they are. Let the man play for now, when he goes to court, let the court decide the validity of the witness and police statements, as well as Talib’s side of things. If guilty, Talib gets what he gets. If not guilty, will we leave him alone or will we judge him guilty in the court of public opinion? Interesting.
August 7th, 2011 at 10:41 am
The story says that the bucs expect him to be punished. Based on the behavior of Goodell in the past, they are probably right.
Wasn’t the Steelers QB suspended without any formal charges ever being brought?
Does not say the bucs think he is guilty or should be punished. If that were true they would have cut him.
The bucs have to support their player (if they believe in him) and also go along with Goodell as he is the Commishioner.
Seems to me that is what they are doing. I am not seeing the misleading nature of Stroud’s article.
August 7th, 2011 at 10:42 am
Something the Induction speeches show me every year: No matter how big a fan of the NFL a person is, you never know the man, you just know the player.
August 7th, 2011 at 11:00 am
Eric: yes. Big ben was suspended and not charged (i believe). Talibs lies were obvious about who was present during this, where the participants went afterward etc. The question about whether he fired some of the shots or if his mother fired all of them is less definitive. However, goodell will punish him, the question is: when?
August 7th, 2011 at 11:20 am
“The question about whether he fired some of the shots or if his mother fired all of them is less definitive”.
Mark Twain was right:
Truth is stranger than fiction.
August 7th, 2011 at 12:02 pm
Does this ass-clown ever get anything right? Chris Simms anyone? Not to mention Talib to be released. I don’t generally stoop to name calling, bu come how does this guy still have a job? The next thing you know he’ll resurrect the old “Bucs are for sale schtick.
August 7th, 2011 at 12:14 pm
Remember when Buccaneer Heaven refused to order any more Talib Jerseys? Joe had this to say about that irrelevant fact…
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?.p=45758
“If this isn’t evidence that Talib is done in Tampa Bay, nothing is. The man is now simply toxic to Bucs fans”
LOL.
August 7th, 2011 at 12:21 pm
As you all know, I was the strongest supporter of Talib when all this happened, especially here on JBF.
I hold true to what I said then…a person is innocent until proen guilty. I said that until the whole story is known, people should not judge.
Since then, much of the story has come out and the police report does not tell even half the story. For example…it neglects to mention that the only witness supporting the full accusations was Billings himself. All of the other witnesses (Talib, Talibs sister and mother, and 19 other witnesses) contradict the reported accusations.
But with all of that said…it doesn’t matter where Goodell is concerned. He will view this as Talib placing himself into a bad situation…regardless of the true circumstances.
And for that…he will suspend him. The question is when and for how long.
And we have to ask ourselves…would it be better for Talib to get suspended now or later? My money is on now. Because as of now, it would be a minimum suspension. If it waits till later and things go badly for Talib, the suspension would be much longer.
August 7th, 2011 at 12:22 pm
proen = proven
August 7th, 2011 at 12:33 pm
@Eric — Stroud says Talib is included in the group of players that violate the league conduct policy that the Bucs are so sure will be punished. How the hell does Stroud know that? It sucks that we have to read speculative drivel presented as fact all over this town. I read this last night and was wondering how Stroud knows all this when nobody else does and there’s not source and Talib is still here.
August 7th, 2011 at 12:35 pm
If he gets suspended now (4 games?) and then things go bad later, he could get an additional, longer suspension. I’d take my chances with later.
And as others has mentioned, the police report can be biased against the defendant. It all comes down to the witness testimony in depositions and then, eventually, in court.
August 7th, 2011 at 1:22 pm
there are more holes in this story than swiss cheese…. shannon says he never fired a gun then why was there a shell casing across the street where he was standing?? and there is only one witness validating his story and he left the house before the cops got back?? im not saying talib is guilty or innocent but a good defense lawyer is going to eat this affidavit alive.
August 7th, 2011 at 1:38 pm
@ Pete
I was also strongly supportive of Aqib Talib. Even though I didn’t know the whole story; at the time I thought it looked like someone trying to get rich off of a NFL players paycheck. Hopefully Stroud is wrong again
August 7th, 2011 at 2:38 pm
While Casey Anthony was found not guilty, and rightly so, Aquib Talib will be found guilty, also just.
Casey, much like Debbie LaFave shouldn’t have to waste away in prision mainly because they are cute little princesses and have theirf whole life ahead of them.
Aquib is suited for prision, because that’s essentially his destiny.
August 7th, 2011 at 7:01 pm
Who’s this Aquib character you keep referring to?
August 7th, 2011 at 7:33 pm
Rapistburglar never had a trial date set and charges were never brought against him. Goodell waited until the legal process played out (or in this case, didn’t play out) before suspending him. He’ll do the same with Talib. Since there is a trial date set you can bet there won’t be a suspension until after that process is complete. If the Texas authorities drop charges against him before trial then you can expect Goodell to start the disciplinary process.
Point is, Talib is safe from suspension until either his trial is complete, he reaches a plea bargain or the charges are dropped. Until one of those three things happens nothing will happen to him regarding the NFL. That’s how it works, folks.
August 7th, 2011 at 7:35 pm
Stroud is a local hack.
However, wouldn’t it be surprising if Aqib is not on the “to be punished” list?
Rightly or wrongly. I think wrongly, but nuttin the Glazers can do about it.
I hope he gets to play, but fear otherwise.