Bucs' Aqib Talib faces $15K lawsuit

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Aqib Talib, who faces trial later this month over a felony gun charge in Texas, has been sued for allegedly threatening a woman during a traffic dispute before police arrived at the scene.

According to Tampa media reports, Betty Atwood filed the lawsuit March 2, claiming Talib threatened to "put a cap in" her after a December 2010 crash she says resulted in physical injuries.

Atwood, a Tampa resident, is seeking $15,000, the reports said, and is also claiming depression, anxiety and severe emotional distress.

Talib's attorney, Jay Reisinger, released a statement Friday morning, acknowledging a "very minor traffic accident" on the date contained in the lawsuit.

"Ms. Atwood placed a 911 call to report the accident, and was also interviewed by police at the scene of the accident," the statement says. "At no time during the 15 months since the accident has Ms. Atwood ever reported this alleged statement to the police.

"Further, we have witness statements confirming that Aqib never made a statement of this nature toward Ms. Atwood," the news release says. "Following the accident, Ms. Atwood discovered that Aqib played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In order to leverage a substantial monetary settlement, she concocted a tale to increase her alleged damages."

Talib, 26, is facing a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Police in the Dallas suburb of Garland have said they believe Talib and his mother shot at a man in March 2011.

The NFL did not suspend Talib after he met with commissioner Roger Goodell in August. The NFL said it could revisit the matter pending the outcome of the case.

Talib was suspended without pay for the 2010 regular-season opener and also fined one additional game check for violating the league's personal conduct policy. That discipline stemmed from an altercation with a St. Petersburg cab driver during training camp in August 2009.

"Aqib is evaluating his legal options with respect to this false allegation," the attorney's statement says of the traffic-incident lawsuit. "Aqib is confident that once all of the facts are known, this matter will be resolved favorably and in an expeditious fashion."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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