Yaqub Talib Receives Prison Sentence of 37 Years

After agreeing to plead guilty to shooting and killing a youth football coach last year, Yaqub Talib, the brother of retired NFL cornerback Aqib Talib was handed down his sentence on Monday.

According to WFAA, Yaqub has been sentenced to 37 years in prison for the killing of youth football coach Michael Hickmon. Last month, he entered a guilty plea for shooting and killing the 43-year-old Hickmon almost a year ago on August 13, 2022, at a football game in Lancaster, Texas.

Prosecutors receive permission from the Dallas County court to use Yaqub’s previous offenses in the murder trial. His prior offenses included aggravated assault, unlawful carrying of a firearm, and possession of a controlled substance.

Hickmon’s wife, Kenyetta was able to address Yaqub after he was given his sentence by the judge.

“You killed innocence,” Kenyetta Hickmon stated to the convicted killer. “You killed souls, hopes, dreams, of not just my kids but of the 30 or 40 other kids who were there. Who does that? How did you think that was right?

“I’ll never be healed. I still ask myself every day, ‘Why?’ My kids say, ‘Why, mama? Why?’ I have no answers. Why would someone take a life from kids?”

Hickmon was shot several times after a fight took place between the competing coaching staff because of a dispute regarding a referee’s call during a scrimmage at Lancaster Community Park. This happened at a football game between two nine-year-old teams—the Dragon Elite Academy and the North Dallas United Bobcats.

Video footage, as well as eyewitness testimony, implicated Yaqub in the killing.

Last year, Hickman’s family filed a lawsuit against the Talib brothers. They filed the paperwork in Dallas County. The family is suing Big XII Sports League and Family Services, along with the Talib brothers, accusing the league of failing to vet coaches and to provide a safe environment and adequate security.

Yaqub Talib Receives Prison Sentence of 37 Years for Killing Youth Football Coach