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Will the NFL punish Aqib Talib for his personal fouls in Super Bowl?

Brown calls foul or Talib’s facemask
Denver Broncos’ Aqib Talib (21) intentionally tackled the Carolina Panthers’ Corey Brown (10) by the facemask to prevent a touchdown in Super Bowl 50, and he could face discipline next season for the play.

Denver Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib knew exactly what he was doing when he latched onto the facemask of Carolina Panthers wide receiver Corey Brown and wrestled him to the ground during Super Bowl 50.

It was a calculated decision, made on the spur of the moment. It likely saved a touchdown initially, with the tackle at the 3, and the resulting flag gave the Broncos the ball on the 1. But the play has also sparked a debate: Should Talib be fined or suspended at the start of the 2016 season? At least one person, the man who was tackled on the dangerous play, has a strong opinion on the matter.

“I don’t think Talib should be suspended,” Brown tweeted Tuesday afternoon. “I hope he plays when we travel to denver next yr. He was frustrated that’s what immature pros do!!”

Talib said that it was a deliberate act, not an immature one.

“My teammates knew what it was,” Talib said. “He was on the 3-yard line. (With) a personal foul, he was on the 1½-yard line, so it is what it is.”

What it is is a personal foul, one of two Talib was flagged for in the first half and that may be significant. Pro Football Talk reports that a one-game suspension is under consideration by NFL officials and, last week, Commissioner Roger Goodell said he would propose ejecting a player who had two personal fouls in a single game. A rule change would have to be approved by 24 of the 32 owners.

“I believe that the league should pursue a policy where if there are two personal fouls in a game, there’s an automatic ejection of the player,” Goodell said at his annual pre-Super Bowl news conference. “I believe that that’s consistent with what we believe are safety issues, but I also believe it’s consistent with what we believe are the standards of sportsmanship that we’ve emphasized. We should take that out of the hands of the officials.”

“I wish he wouldn’t have done that,” Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said of Talib’s admission. “You’ve got to be careful. The commissioner talked about two personal fouls and removing players and that just adds credence to the argument.”

If he is going to be punished, should he be fined or suspended? A fine might be as effective as a one-game suspension, but if the opener is a rematch between the Broncos and Panthers, missing that game would be a far bigger deal for Talib, whose other personal foul came when he was called for taunting Brown.

“The guy was talking on our sideline,” Talib said. “One I just did on purpose, and I just had to show him. It’s probably going to be a fine, but hey, we’re world champs.”

That’s great now, but there may be repercussions for that Sept. 8 opener no matter whom the Broncos play.

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