After his playing career ended, cornerback Aqib Talib had all the makings of a star in NFL broadcasting. Fresh, authentic, original, and different, his periodic games with Fox became must-watch, even if the teams involved were must-miss.
Talib attracted the attention of Amazon, and he was hired by Amazon to work Thursday night pregames. it would have happened, but for his presence at a youth football game that culminated in his brother shooting and killing a man. Talib eventually stepped aside from the Amazon role.
Last year, Talib’s brother pleaded guilty to murder and received a sentence of 37 years in prison.
Two years later, Talib is making his way back into the media. Via Nick Kosmider of TheAthletic.com, Talib and fellow former Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr. will work an alternate broadcast for tonight’s game against the Packers. It will be available to Colorado residents on the team’s website and mobile app. James Palmer, formerly of NFL Network, will presumably host/moderate/attempt to control the two big personalities.
“We already got the buzz and the feeling of what it’s going to be, man,” Talib said. “As soon as we heard about it, we could envision it in our head. It makes it fun when people can react with the chat in there. I’m sure the chat will be goin’. We’ll have guests coming in and, of course, we’ll react to the game, but we can do our own thing and see where it goes. We’re just goin’ to vibe with Broncos Country, and we’re excited about it.”
Somewhat surprisingly, the article from TheAthletic.com, which is owned by the New York Times, makes no mention of Talib’s short-circuited career as a broadcaster. Regardless, this could be the re-launch he needed.
Talib faced no criminal charges arising from the murder. As of last August, a civil lawsuit was pending against him in connection with the death.