Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib viewed his decision to violently pull Panthers receiver Corey Brown to the ground by his facemask as something that would simply draw the equivalent of a parking ticket. Talib instead may be parked on the couch when the 2016 season begins. (And we now know that the couch is a dangerous place.)
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the NFL will consider suspending Talib for his admittedly intentional and blatant decision to grab, twist, yank, and pull Brown’s facemask under circumstances that resulted in a small impact on field position, since Brown was inside the Denver five yard line.
The league office will examine Talib’s conduct within the confines of the normal course of post-game evaluations. Talib’s history will be a factor, along with his comments reflecting clear intent to violate an important safety rule.
Another factor will be the reality that more and more players are now admitting in public the nefarious purpose of their actions. Apart from discouraging the behavior, the NFL needs to create a clear disincentive when it comes to telling the world, essentially, “Yeah, I did it. I meant to do it. And I’ll do it again.”