NFL looking into Aqib Talib shooting; Texas laws also might be issue

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Tuesday, June 7, 2016

The NFL is looking into the circumstances surrounding the incident during whichAqib Talib was shot early Sunday, an NFL official told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Texas laws also might present an issue for Talib as police investigate the incident. Under a state law that took effect Jan. 1, a person must have a license to carry a gun.

Carrying a weapon in public without a license into a place that sells alcohol is considered a Class 3 felony. It is a Class A misdemeanor to possess a weapon while intoxicated in Texas (there is no official indication he was intoxicated on the night of the incident), and punishment carries a year in jail. It is a Class B misdemeanor to discharge a weapon in public, and punishment carries up to six months in jail.

If Talib had a license, he could be charged with two of these crimes; if he didn't, it's possible he could be charged with all three. It is not known if Talib had a licensed weapon and was shot at, or whether he shot himself.

The Denver Broncosimmediately notified the NFL about the shooting after the team found out about it. Now the NFL is exploring the facts behind the incident, the official told Schefter.

According to a report by WFAA-TV in Dallas, Talib told police he had been hanging out at a park with friends when he was shot early Sunday morning. But detectives are looking into whether Talib may have been shot at the nightclub where two other people were shot by an unknown suspect in a disturbance about the same time.

The bullet entered his right thigh and exited his right calf, according to the WFAA report. Such a trajectory might suggest a self-inflicted wound.

Talib was released from a Dallas hospital Monday and is expected to arrive in Denver on Wednesday, coach Gary Kubiak said Tuesday as the Broncos began their mandatory three-day minicamp.

Kubiak, asked if the team was considering discipline for Talib, said:"The only thing I'm concerned about right now is his health. That's what I'm trying to get him for, so we can see him, get our hands on him, know exactly what's going on and go from there.''

Kubiak indicated that the incident hasn't caused him to lose trust in Talib.

"My time here, Aqib has been a great teammate, he's worked his butt off, very accountable around here, and I don't expect any of that to change,'' Kubiak said. "Let me see where he's at physically.''

The 30-year-old was treated at a Dallas hospital Sunday and remained there overnight. Talib did not make the trip Monday with the rest of his teammates to the White House, where the Broncos were honored for their Super Bowl 50 championship, due to the injury.

ESPN's Jeff Legwold contributed to this report.

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