Talib was cleared in court, but what about by the NFL? (US Presswire)

Aqib Talib's had a lot hanging over his head as the 2012 approaches: there were rumors of Tampa Bay possibly releasing the talented cornerback because of the assault with a deadly weapon charge that was pending.

Good news for Talib then: his attorney says, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, that the charge against Talib has been dismissed.

"I guess the district attorney, in preparing for trial, had a chance to evaluate the case," Talib's attorney Frank Perez said. "The bottom line is that the complaintant is sitting in jail as a repeat child molester and has prior cases of the same nature."

Since Talib's arrest, his trail was delayed and ultimately, his accuser ended up going to jail. Presumably, that has something to do with his credibility as a witness and the ultimate dismissal of the case.

"We felt strongly the whole time that this would be resolved in Aqib's favor," Perez said. "He's very excited he can resume his career and have a fresh start with no problems."

Talib is now free from the constraints of the court of law. However, certainly premature to assume that we're done talking about Talib in the NFL world.

There were rumors that the Buccaneers were looking to deal Talib earlier this offseason. And those rumors actually make sense given the way that Greg Schiano's trying to reinvent the Bucs as a disciplined franchise.

However, since Talib had, you know, criminal charges pending, no one was interested. That could very well change now, and if anyone's going to be interested, you have to think it's the Redskins. Washington's secondary coach is Raheem Morris and he previously coached/was buddies with Talib in Tampa Bay. Plus, it's possible the 'Skins could get Talib on the cheap since the Bucs might have trouble finding other suitors.

Of course, one problem with that is a potential suspension from Roger Goodell. Though Talib's accuser doesn't have the credibility for his testimony to stand up in court, that probably won't matter much to the Commissioner.

Any punishment of a suspension for a few games for Talib would not only severely suppress Talib's value on the trade, but might even potentially prompt the Bucs to simply decide they've had enough of him.

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