DALLAS COUNTY, TEXAS: The brother of retired NFL cornerback Aqib Talib has pleaded guilty to fatally shooting a rival team’s coach over an argument at a youth football game in Texas. The Dallas County District Attorney’s office confirmed on Thursday, July 20 that Yaqub Salik Talib has accepted a sentence of 37 years in prison after pleading guilty to the murder of 43-year-old Michael Hickmon.
The prosecutors also noted that Salik will be formally sentenced on August 7. It was previously revealed that Hickmon was shot on August 13, 2022, when the Talib brothers’ team, the North Dallas United Bobcats, took on Hickmon's DEA Dragons in the Dallas area city of Lancaster. In the fourth quarter, the Bobcats had a chance to come back from a 13-7 deficit after stopping the Dragons at fourth-and-1, but the officials penalized them for taunting after the game, and the Dragons received the ball back. The five-time NFL Pro Bowler and Bobcats financier Aqib Talib, whose son played running back, then allegedly engaged in an argument with officials over the decision.
Why did Yaqub Salik Talib shoot Michael Hickmon?
Aqib and his brother, whose son played quarterback, apparently had a reputation for bullying and were known to lose their cool during games when things did not go their way, according to Law and Crime. However, the situation turned into a tragedy after one of the Bobcats’ coaches allegedly took the ball after the game, even though the Dragons, who had won the game, were supposed to receive it. Hickmon, one of three people handling the down marker, then went to fetch the ball back and knocked it out of a rival coach's hand. He was about to pick up the ball when someone kicked it and a melee ensued, with several people attacking him. In his defense, Hickmon also started swinging the marker.
At some point during the brawl, Salik allegedly pulled out a gun and fired five shots, striking Hickmon in the chest, back, and forearm. A video, obtained by TMZ, also showed a man, donning a black hoodie and hat, pulling out a gun and firing several shots. Parents can be heard yelling in the clip while talking to the match officials before the fight breaks out on the field. Following the incident, a search warrant was issued for Salik, who surrendered himself just two days later. TMZ also revealed that Aqib was present at the scene when Hickmon was fatally shot. “Aqib was present when this unfortunate incident occurred and is very distraught and devastated over this terrible loss of life,” his attorney said at the time.
'They’ll never forget this moment'
One of the lingering legacies of that day is how it affected the children who were present on the field. “I don’t know how to explain it to the kids,” Dragons president Mike Freeman told WFAA last year, adding, “That’s the part that I’m stuck on right now. How do I explain it to them. Why? This is something that these kids will remember for the rest of their life. They’ll never forget this moment.” A parent, who met Salik about eight years ago when his son played youth football, described him as a "big brother bodyguard type." “Aqib Talib was always about the football thing and handling the business and Q (Salik) was always the street one,” Keith Hodge told the Morning News.
