Bucs coach Raheem Morris has grown exponentially in his second season as head coach, making few missteps. He made one on Monday, when he defended his cornerback Aqib Talib after Talib threatened an official during a verbal altercation after Sunday’s loss.
“He didn’t do anything wrong. He was just in conversation,” coach Raheem Morris said. “So I’m not going to sit here and act like Aqib did anything wrong, or the official, because I’m not into that. That’s between those two men. Whatever happened, happened. Keep it moving.”
It’s not between those two men, though. It’s between those two men and the NFL, which is investigating the matter. The official should be held responsible for calling Talib a name. But it’s insane that Morris would condone his player’s behavior.
Martin Fennelly of the Tampa Tribune reports that Talib threatened to punch the official in the mouth. Teammates reportedly had to hold Talib back. But whatever happened, happened, according to Morris.
The third-year cornerback already has had multiple incidents in which he acted violently. Morris may think he’s supporting his player, but he’s doing Talib no favors by coddling him.