The aftermath from the all-out brawl on Sunday between the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders resulted in both Raiders wide receiver Michael Crabtree and Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib being slapped with two-game suspensions by the NFL.

On Tuesday, after both appealed their suspensions, they were reduced to a single game, meaning Talib will miss only this Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins. But missing in all the chain-snatching drama is a burning question: Why didn’t Broncos head coach Vance Joseph further discipline Talib?

After Sunday’s game, Joseph had pointed words about Talib’s altercation: “I don’t like it and it’s unacceptable. We can’t lose our best players because of personal battles. That’s a personal battle. This is about the Broncos, so it’s unacceptable. We can’t have it. It’s nonnegotiable. Obviously, losing one of our best players and playing a young guy, it hurt us tonight, so we can’t have it. We talk about those things all the time and we can’t have it. Unacceptable.”

Why, then — if it was “nonnegotiable” and “unacceptable” — would Joseph wait for the league to deliver a punishment, instead of acting in a manner that backed up his words? An malicious act towards an opponent is intolerable and immature. Whether it’s a chain-snatching snag or a cheap shot, it doesn’t belong in the NFL and should’ve drawn punishment from a team that prides itself on leadership, particularly from the head coach.

‘Leader of men’ was the Broncos’ catchphrase when selling Joseph as the head coach to their fans. Yet after another episode of the team running rampant, it’s fair to wonder if the first-year head coach is in well over his head.

As a team captain, Talib must be held to a higher standard. He’s a tone-setter for the team, and leads by example — or at least he should. It’s the reason he has a ‘C’ stamped on his jersey.

He didn’t represent that status proudly on Sunday. Aggressive play is one thing; dirty actions are uncalled for. A lack of policing these attitudes added more dark clouds to the ones that already loom over this disastrous season. It marked a new low they haven’t stooped to in years — and that’s not describing the Broncos seven-game losing streak, their first since 1967.

The Broncos have reached a low in leadership and incompetence at the head coaching position this year, a level that reminds one of the Josh McDaniel’s era. A team internally fighting over the week prior to Sunday, with some players crying, needing to be consoled just to get through another Thursday at practice.

Joseph was asked Monday at practice before the suspensions were handed down if he expects consequences for Talib. “Internally, no, because I’m not sure how it all started and when those things start, it’s a fine line between once it starts and not defending yourself.”

In the end, it doesn’t matter how something started — it matters how a player involves himself, and what actions he takes in that further involvement. Talib’s involvement included throwing punches, chasing Crabtree, snatching the chain from his neck once again, and the re-engagement in a fight, well after the initial scuffle, with the latter going far beyond ‘defending yourself’ on a football field.

And that “fine line”? Did Talib cross it when he deliberately reached at a players neck during a play to intentionally rip off jewelry? Or when he launches his left fist at Crabtree’s face, when he could’ve simply walked away? If that’s not crossing it, what would?

Then there’s the report from Chris Mortensen of ESPN on Monday night, saying Joseph warned officials before the game of the history between Talib and Crabtree.

If such a history between two players was significant enough to actively reach out to officials to warn them of potential scuffles prior to the game, one would think (hope?) the coach also approached the player before the game at some point, to address the same.

Did that conversation happen? We don’t know for sure. But if the conversation did occur, than a team captain didn’t respond to the coach’s message. If it didn’t occur, then that speaks to a lack of awareness and leadership — and that might be even worse.

What we do know is there was a lack of desire from leadership — either from the coach, or from someone above him — to punish the player internally.

If you accompany someone to rob a bank, but never touch the money, you’re still going to jail. You’re involved. Talib was unfortunately forced into involvement into a scuffle, but did nothing whatsoever to defuse the situation. Instead, he selfishly chose to escalate it, and deserved to be punished by the Broncos.

The entire situation is revealing Joseph’s seeming inability to deliver on the very strength that purportedly got him hired, an inability that may end up leading to his departure in the near future.