On the final football Sunday of the regular NFL season, egos clashed on the field during the New Years Day game between the Denver Broncos and the Oakland Raiders.
Following an incompletion, down the right sideline in the first quarter of the big game, Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib shoved Michael Crabtree, just before snatching a gold chain from Crabtree’s neck, right in front of an official.
After the game, which resulted in a 24-6 Broncos victory over Raiders, Talib spoke to the press to explain his actions.
“He’s just been wearing that chain all year, man, it’s just been growing on me,” he said. “I said if he wears that chain in front of me, I’m going to snatch it off. So he wore it in front of me, so I had to snatch it off.”
However, Crabtree, who gave Talib a quick push back prior to the chain snatch, was not amused by the cornerback’s antics. Although, the confrontation upset him, he chose to refrain from retaliation out of respect for his team.
“I can’t react, or [the referees are] going to kick me out,” he said. “Then I’m the bad guy.”
“Acting,” Crabtree continued. “You aren’t defending anybody up like that. You hard? You tough? You snatch a chain in front of the police and run off? Childish, man.”
The wide receiver also grew frustrated with the officials, claiming they were “one-sided” and that they treated him like a “criminal” during the game.
“Disrespectful,” Crabtree said, regarding the referees. “They were acting like I was the problem. That’s what I didn’t like. I’m not even that type of dude. I play football…I could have cut [blocked] him; I could have hurt him. But I don’t like that.”
Although, the Raiders fell short on New Years Day, they finished the season 12-4, tied with the AFC West division champions, Kansas City Chiefs.
Watch the chain snatch and Talib’s response below:
