The former NFL star Aqib Talib, his brother, Yaquab Talib, and a youth sports league are all facing a wrongful death lawsuit from the family of a coach that was killed during an altercation back in August. During the event, Michael Hickmon, 43, was shot and killed in Lancaster, Texas, after a disagreement between coaches and officials during a youth football game got out of control, when the coaches had a problem with calls made by the officiating staff.
The suspect was identified as Yaqub Talib, as he pulled a gun out and shot Hickmon several times before fleeing the scene, according to police. He later turned himself in after a first degree felony murder warrant was issued for his arrest.
This Tuesday, Hickmon’s family filed the lawsuit against the Talib brothers, as well as, Big XII Youth Sports League and Family Services. The lawsuit states tensions were high throughout the August 13th game between the Dragons Elite Academy 9U team that was coached by Hickmon, and the North Dallas United Bobcats, coached by the Talib brothers. It goes on to state the Talib brothers “became physically and verbally abusive” when the Dragons scored after a taunting penalty on the Bobcats. The game came to its conclusion with time remaining in the game. When the game was over, the lawsuit says Hickmon went to grab his son’s ball that was being used as the game ball, when Aqib Talib confronted him and allegedly threw a punch at him.
Hicmon was dazed by the punch and when he got back to his feet, Yaqub Talib “pulled a handgun and fired approximately five shots from just a few feet away.” The lawsuit continues to state that Yaqub Talib is a convicted felon and was not legally allowed to own a handgun in the first place. The family is seeking $1 million in damages and is also demanding a jury trial.
Clark Birdsall, the lawyer for the Talib brothers, told the Dallas Morning News back in September that Yaqub Talib had a case for self-defense and the allegations were “absolutely 100% hogwash.”
Meanwhile, Realford Consulting, a league partner was also named in the lawsuit. However, Raymond Alford, a partial owner of the Big XII League, stated that he hadn’t been notified of the lawsuit yet but that the league itself had nothing to do with the game or incident, as it was a preseason fundraiser for the Bobcats.
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