Buccaneer player Aqib Talib's assault with a deadly weapon case dismissed a week before trial date

TAMPA - Buccaneers cornerback Aqib Talib was looking at up to 20 years in prison, if convicted on felony charges in Texas related to a March 2011 shooting incident. He's now looking ahead, simply, to the football season.

Talib's case in Texas, in which he was charged with assault with a deadly weapon after allegedly firing a gun at his sister's boyfriend, was dismissed Monday.  According to the Tampa Bay Times , that boyfriend, Shannon Billings, is now in jail himself on charges of sexual assault, and using him as a witness may have been tough, in terms of credibility.

Talib's case was scheduled for next Monday, June 25, after having been moved back twice already.  But the case was dismissed a week in advance. 

The Buccaneers released a statement in the wake of the dismissal, saying "We're pleased that this is behind us. Aqib has had a positive offseason, which we expect will continue into training camp and the season."

This was not Talib's first run-in with the law.  He was suspended for the first game of the 2010 season after assaulting a cab driver in 2009.  Whether or not he will face suspension from the league after this latest incident--despite the case being dropped--is yet to be determined.