- That was the second time we played
and the first time, we was finna go to Oakland to play 'em.
It’s speech week. It's a rivalry game. Everybody giving their speeches, man.
And one of our coaches on the Broncos, "They think it’s fucking fashion shows.
They running out with chains. If I was playing, I'd snatch that shit."
So, I'm like, "Hold on, Coach.
Got real goons in here.”
- [Laughing]
♪♪♪
- [Master Tesfatsion:] So who we got in the pool hall today?
- [Aqib Talib]: My boy.
- Aqib Talib, what's good, baby?
- I'm all good. How're you?
- Good, man. I see you on TV now.
- Yeah I’m tryna do something. - See you in the booth, you know what I'm saying?
How nice are you on the breaking?
- I'm all right.
- Let's see what you can do, man. One take.
- Uh!
- Drop something.
- You got the stripes in too.
- Yeah you gotta drop something.
Gonna take the easy one.
- Of course you play defense too.
- Yeah, exactly. That's what I mean, I play different.
- What got you into cornerback?
Why'd you play that position?
- I'm born in Cleveland, Ohio. But we was Cowboys fans.
You know, Deion Sanders, that's kind of when I started watching. Prime was on, and
that's how I started playing cornerback, bro.
I always wanted to be a DB over anything else.
- The demeanor of a cornerback, what does it take
to be a great cornerback in the league?
- You gotta have a lot of confidence, right?
Cuz you go against, like, the most confident guys on the field in wideouts.
They like the most confident guys. So you gotta have a lot of confidence,
and you can't really care to lose.
You just gotta want smoke, you know what I'm saying?
- Let's talk about your career in the NFL, OK?
- Yeah.
- How was your experience like with the Bucs?
What was it like having the training camp experience facing the Patriots?
- I enjoyed every moment of it.
What was it, my fourth year? My fifth year actually. My last year.
You know, we had a training camp. We kinda started the joint practices.
That’s kinda when it started.
I wanted to impress Bill honestly, you know what I’m saying?
The whole time I’m playing, I keep on looking at Bill. So,
man, I’m strapping people up in one-on-ones.
Honestly I had a great two days'
worth of practice, you know what I’m saying? I’m bullying they special teams.
I don’t even practice in special teams. I’m going against Slater, man.
I’m throwing him, right? He a All-Pro.
- Yeah for sure.
- Yeah, he All-Pro, Pro Bowl and special teams, so I wanted to go handle him.
Throw him out of bounds and talking all kinds of shit to him.
“Man, anybody can do special teams shit!”
I felt like I had a great practice in those training camp battles, and
I feel like that had a lot to do with how I got there.
- So what happened? How’d you get to New England?
- Training camp. We done took some Adderall.
- Yeah.
- We hearing all about the Adderall. "Let’s take one for this night practice,
like, game-like situation." Next day we end up having to test.
So bam. My suspension starts. So I had to train at IMG.
They made me go to IMG Academy, you know. Do my training there, stay there.
I had a room and everything. - [Laughing]
- Finish my workout, you know what I’m saying?
I'm in the hyperbaric chamber, little-ass tool, you know what I’m saying, asleep
[Imitating ringing]
My phone start going. I see a New Jersey number. I ain’t got this shit saved.
So I’m like, “Hello?” And it’s Schiano. He like, “Aqib.” I’m like, “What’s up, Coach?”
“I just wanted to be the first one to tell you, we gonna trade you to New England.”
So I’m like, “Damn.” He like, “Yeah, man. The owners—” He kinda put it on them.
“The owners, they weren’t gonna pay you—”
You know what I'm saying? - [Laughing]
- “They weren’t gon’ pay you next year. So I wanted to make sure we put you in a
good position to succeed. You know what I’m saying?”
So that’s how he kicked it to me. - Ahh, he put salary-wise. Damn bro.
- So I’m like, “All right, all right, all right.” I guess I can’t be mad at that, right? All right.
So then, boom, my brother was beeping in right when he talked to me. So I’m like,
“All right, Coach, my agent calling me. I’mma call you back.”
“Todd, what’s up?” He like, “Hey man, they trading you to New England.”
I’m like, “Shit, I heard. I already know, shit.” So he like, “Man, well look.
I think it’ll be a good thing, man. We gonna go here. You’ll be on the stage.
The first game back we got a TV game versus the Colts.
It’s a late game. 4:30 game. You already on TV, just like that.”
- Those Patriots-Colts games back then, too.
- Patriots-Colts games, man. So I end up in New England.
First game, I get to pick Andrew Luck off, go to the crib. And before the game,
I started to get the feel like, "Damn, this shit different." Because the media is times 10.
The whole atmosphere is times 10. But after the game, I got the interception to the crib.
Man, it was just like, it was like a Super Bowl environment.
But it wasn’t shit but a—you know what I’m saying?
- Prime-time game.
- Yeah a Week 9 game or something like that, right? So right then I knew, like,
this is why Bro was so excited. Cuz he know this the real stage.
So now I really get the opportunity to show my skills, you know what I’m saying?
Get to the real, real NFL, you know what I’m saying?
- How'd you land on the Broncos?
- I had two nice little seasons with the Patriots. Boom, it's contract time.
So now I feel like I'm one of the hottest guys out right now.
- And at the time, when New England really wasn't
paying people like that, were they or—?
- I mean, not really, but, you know, Bill, Bill is—he go in general manager mode, right?
He wake up in the morning,
it's Bill Belichick. He's like, “Aqib, all right, what you gonna do?”
I'm like, “Bill, shit. I can't do no more one-year deals, Bill.
You give me a hard-ass job,
you give me a hard-ass assignment, you know what I'm saying?
I need to get paid like that, right?” So free-agency time, my agent called me.
He's like, “Man, sit down.” I'm like, “All right, all right.” He called, boom.
“The Broncos, man, they wanna give you 60.”
I'm like, “Oh, we there. Ain't nothing to think about.”
- So you go from a team led by Tom Brady to a team led by Peyton Manning?
- Mmhmm. It was crazy, man. It was super similar, bro. It was like—
- What about it was similar?
- They almost like coaches. It's almost like—they like GM, coaches, and players.
They got so much say-so with the coaches, with the team. It was a great experience,
man, just to go from one to the other, man, and just see how both of 'em work
and see why both of them always in the playoffs, the AFC championship, stuff like that.
- What do you remember from the Super Bowl?
- I remember falling on that stage.
- [Laughing]
- I definitely remember that.
- So after the game, you win the Super Bowl, excited.
Then you jump on the NFL Network set?
- Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, you know it's bananas after the game, man.
So then one of the media people came and was like, “Prime wanna talk to you.”
So I'm like, “Oh, shit! I remember Prime.
I remember where they say it was over there, right?"
So I left the media person, hit it. It was like a couple of, you know, security gates.
I cleared the security gates. Jump over that one, huh, jump over that one.
Prime! Hop on the stage, shoom. Bust my ass. Damn! At this point—
- Well, cuz you wearin' cleats and with the, with the surface—
- Yeah, it was like you know, it's steel. That stage like steel. And I had cleats on,
so slipped soon as I get on that. Bust my ass, boom, I wasn't hurt or nothin'
so I pop right up man. Prime, they was like, “Oh, shit. Oh, he good! He good!”
So it was just a good moment, man, you know what I’m saying?
It was a good moment.
Up there with Prime, Irvin, guys who I looked up to, them guys,
know what I'm sayin'. Winning the Super Bowls and stuff.
That's what made me wanna play football.
So that's why I was so excited to go get on the stage with them boys, man.
- Prime obviously influenced a lot in terms of your style and
the position you wanted to play. Having seen him immediately afterwards,
for you, was that a full-circle moment for you?
- Man, full circle. And then I say Prime, but
I'm a big Michael Irvin fan too, man. You know what I'm saying?
- Come on now.
- Just cuz I was a huge Cowboys fan, so just seeing them boys, I'm like,
that was full circle. Like, I actually just won the chip. I'm the best corner on the team,
you know what I'm saying? I'm one of the best corners in the league.
Like, shit! I'm up here with these boys.
- Let me get this shot in. I ain’t got no shots right now. You playin' all this defense, bro.
- You ain’t even doing that.
- How do you describe Dallas to other people who ain’t from here?
This city different, bro.
- Man, Dallas is the shit, man. Look, Dallas is the slow L.A. That's what it is.
It's a lot like L.A. It’s just a little more laid-back, a little slower, but
as far as nightlife and day parties and everything—
- Sunday fun day, you could—man, come on, bro.
- I'm telling you, you know what I'm saying?
You can do anything you can do in L.A.
You can do right here in Dallas.
- Straight up, bro. For real.
Speaking of Dallas, you've had some history with a couple people here.
- Yeah.
- Including Michael Crabtree.
- Yeah.
- I've asked people around to see, just trying to understand a better understanding
of where this started from, and no one really knows. They just say it's some Dallas shit.
- It started on some Dallas shit just cuz I was playing for Tampa.
My dawg was playing for San Fran, I think. And then, uh, I don’t know,
whatever happened in the play. Little scuffle in the play. And Crab was just like,
"Man! You from my motherfucking city? I better not see you in the city."
So, I'm like, "All right. All right, fam, all right. So, when I see you, you know,
just have this same energy, fam." So, you know. I think, maybe, that offseason,
next offseason, whatever, I'm in NorthPark Mall. So we in the North,
you know what I'm saying? He from the South. I'm from the North.
- For sure. You from North Dallas. He from Oak Cliff?
- Exactly. He in the North. I see him, boom, and actually, he with a guy who
I go to school with. So I know the guy he with, right? He ain't the hardest guy you
with, you know what I'm saying? So I see who he with.
I'm with Wifey. "What's up, bruh?"
And he was like, "Man, Aqib, what's up?" So, I'm like,
"All right, all right. I'm just checking your energy, fam.”
We exchanged words, whatever, whatever. No smoke.
You know what I'm saying? Boom. So, now I'm on Denver. He on the Raiders.
We get on the field. You know Von Miller, he kinda mutual friends between both of us,
you know what I’m saying? So, we got into it again on the field. He talking. I'm like,
“But tell ‘em about when I seen you at the mall, then.” You know what I'm saying?
- You know, led to another, man. Then boom, we finna play the Raiders, I think,
next season or whatever. It's kinda, like, you know, it led up to this point.
- January—I think it's New Years, right? 2017?
- Uh, I don't know. I have no idea about the dates, man.
- OK.
- But that was the second time we played, and the first time we was finna go
to Oakland to play 'em. It’s speech week. It’s a rivalry game. Everybody giving their
speeches, man. One of our coaches on the Broncos, "They think it’s fucking
fashion shows. They running out with chains. If I was playing, I'd snatch that shit."
So, I'm like, "Hold on, Coach. Got real goons in here. Y'all better stop.”
- [Laughing]
So it kind of started off as a joke, right? You know what I'm saying? I think I hurt my
back or something in practice that week. So I didn't even go to Oakland
to play ‘em. So now we finna play them again. And the same coach, he kinda,
you know what I'm saying? "We went out there and got our ass whooped. They wearin'
chains and shit." Well, we kinda got on it again. Right?
- Yeah.
- I got it in my head, like, “Man. I’mma embarrass him. I’mma snatch that
motherfucker.” Right? When the game start, I'm locked in though. I ain't thinking about
no chain. I'm thinking about winning this game. You know what I'm saying?
We finna win this game, whatever. They throw him, like, a little fade. I strap it up.
Ain't nothing. I push him on the ground. So, then, I kinda was over him.
So, he kinda got up, boom, with like a little shoulder check to my chin and shit.
Boom. And after that, all I could see is the chain.
- [Laughing]
- I just could see the chain right there, so I try to—uh!
I tried to snatch it. I thought I had it.
I took, like, three steps. I look, look back. It's kinda hanging on his neck right here,
you know what I'm saying? It's kinda hanging.
So, I'm like, "Damn, I ain't even get it." Like, “Fuck.”
I was tryna embarrass him. - Cuz y'all were sideline to sideline, right?
Still, after that moment, y'all were still—
- Yeah, he was still talking, I can't really hear what we was saying.
I'm yelling out shit, he yelling out shit. We can't really hear what each other's saying,
you know what I'm saying?
But, you know, I just wanted to embarrass him. The second game, I don’t even
remember. We in Oakland. So, boom, he come out, he kinda, boom,
socked Chris in the stomach. Boom. - Chris—?
- Chris Harris. Socked him in the stomach, bam. So, we stopped the play.
You know what I'm saying? Injury timeout. It's like, “Bro you socked him in the
stomach. You watch the film, you can see him. He socked him in the stomach.”
Long little 10-minute break or whatever.
Next play, he come out on my side. Run play.
He did the same thing. Boom. So, I'm laughing, like,
“You just did that to Chris.” Boom.
I feel the little punch, boom. So I'm laughing. He just start pushing me.
He blocking me, he blocking. I'm thinking he gonna let me go. I ain't really on that shit
this time. I'm, like, shit over with. This old. He still was mad, I guess. He's just blocking
me, he's blocking me. So, while he blocking me again, all I seen was the chain.
So, I'm like, I'm about to get him again. Just, I'm just trying to embarrass—I’m being funny
at this point. Ha, I snatch it again. He keep blocking me, though.
Finally fall down and then, after I fell down, I'm like,
“What’s up? Now I’mma fight you, you feel me?”
Finally had it, but then I dropped it again.
Got into a little scuffle with him man. Came around, seen it,
tried to take off on him, man. It was a whole little situation man.
- Cuz he was helmetless at that point.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- With the open face.
- Yeah, I snatched his helmet off. I tried to throw it at him, man.
Bad decision, man.
Whole game check. Lotta money, lotta money. I lost a lot of money.
- How much they fine you for that? Cuz, were y'all ejected for that?
- Shit, you get fined by the game. So, I mean, divide that by 17,
and that's your number per game.
So that shit up there. That shit probably like half a million dollars.
- They took a whole check?
- They tried to take two. Luckily, Elway went to bat for me, man. We have a call, right?
You on appeal. "We suspended you two games." So you have an appeal, man.
Elway went to bat for me, end up getting dropped to one game I think, so.
Lotta respect for Elway, man. He was on the phone going HAM for me too
with the league office, man, so. Bad decisions. Lotta money though.
All right, let me knock a few in real quick.
- Yeah, man.
- But I wasn't even on that the second time, but, you know, I did the first time.
He kinda did the second time so, man.
Since then I seen him man, one time we was at
the go-kart place. I'm with the kids. It's me, Wifey, I got my nephews.
We, like, 11 deep. I got, like, nine little nephews, cousins with me.
Crab walk in with his girl with, like, six of his little nephews, right?
So we ain't got no homies with us.
- It’s fam.
- He walk in. Boom, I stand up like, "Bruh, you straight?" He said, "Hell nah,
I ain't straight." I started laughing. “What's up?” Like, I'm right here.
He came past. He like, "Ay bruh. Come outside, come outside." So I hopped up
quick. I’mma walk right outside with you. Just me and him. And then, you know what
I'm saying, we kinda went, "What's up? What we on?" It’s, “Well you tell me!”
We kind of got to the bottom of it. We kinda squashed it, you know what I'm saying?
Threw it out the window. “Bruh this shit pointless, bruh. What we on?”
- I'm glad you said that, bro, cuz I feel like
Dallas can create that kind of energy sometimes, bro.
- Yeah, sometimes it can. I'm glad I ran into him at the go-kart spot.
Kinda dead that shit, man, know what I'm saying? We too old for that shit.
- How do you look at that from your vantage point now? Is it important for you for, like,
people from Dallas, like, to be on that unity stuff?
Especially, you talk about the NFL brotherhood— - Yeah, yeah, yeah, man.
It's a lot going on right now North and South-wise, right now, man.
It don't have to be like that. There’s a lotta money to be made, and they could be
making a lot of money together, but it's easier said than done.
- For real. But preach that, man. Y'all doing those kind of truces, man, it can go a long
way for people to understand, like you said,
a lotta money to be made out here, bro.
- Real shit.
♪♪♪
- 60 seconds. I’mma ask you questions as you shoot. You ready?
- I’m ready.
- Let’s get it.
- Let’s do it.
- Three, two, one. Let’s get it.
[Digital beeps from game sounding]
Favorite stadium to play in?
- Ooh, favorite stadium to play in? Atlanta.
- Tom Brady or Peyton Manning?
- I can’t even answer that. Both.
- Nah, you gotta pick one. Come on, bruh!
- I can’t do it! Both!
- Biggest financial loss ever made betting?
- $50,000.
- Brisket or ribs?
- Brisket.
- This year’s MVP?
- Tom Brady.
- Hardest wide receiver to cover?
- Calvin Johnson.
- Super Bowl parties or Pro Bowl parties?
- Pro Bowl parties.
- [Laughing]
Favorite QB to pick off?
- Andrew Luck.
- Single bets or parlays?
- Parlays.
- That's what I'm talkin' about.
Favorite team you played for?
- Broncos.
- Ten seconds. Who are you listening to before a game?
- Rihanna.
- Best cornerback of all time?
- Deion Sanders.
- Five seconds. Dirtiest opponent you’ve ever faced?
- Pierre Garçon.
- Super Bowl prediction, who you got?
- Bucs-Chiefs. Run it back.
- Run it back in L.A.?
- Run it back in L.A.
- Aqib, man. Appreciate you for coming by, bro.
- You already know. Appreciate you having me.
- Already, man.