Report: Bucs planning to make Aqib Talib walk the plank

When the NFL lockout ends, it’s a near lock that Aqib Talib will walk the plank in Tampa.

Rick Stroud of the St. Petersburg Times reports that the cornerback will be released “barring a last-minute change of heart.”

Talib was arrested earlier this month and charged with firing shots at the boyfriend of his sister. His past has been troubled to say the least. Talib has denied the charges and essentially said it was his mother who was firing the gun.

Stroud lists off some of Talib’s transgressions, including a fight at the NFL rookie symposium, the time he split open the head of teammate Torrie Cox swinging a helmet and the time he punched a cab driver in the head. There were also reports that Talib got into a shouting match with coach Raheem Morris in the lobby of the team’s hotel during its trip to London in 2009.

“The Bucs have reached a point where they believe Talib's talent no longer justifies the trouble he generates,” Stroud wrote. “They believe it's only a matter of time before he runs afoul of the rules again.”

If the Bucs select a cornerback high in the draft, it might be another sign that Talib, as talented as he is, will be gone soon.

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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune

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