09/23/26 02:40:00
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09/23 14:38 CDT Ex-NFL star Antonio Brown to accept plea deal on attempted
murder charge, his lawyer says
Ex-NFL star Antonio Brown to accept plea deal on attempted murder charge, his
lawyer says
By DAVID FISCHER
Associated Press
Former NFL star wide receiver Antonio Brown plans to accept a plea deal on an
attempted murder charge in Miami that avoids prison, as part of an agreement
that his lawyer said Wednesday was too good to turn down.
Brown is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 30 to make the deal final. He
could have faced up to 30 years in prison if convicted of the current attempted
murder charge.
Brown is accused of grabbing a handgun from a security staffer after a
celebrity boxing match in Miami on May 16, 2025, and firing two shots at a man
he had gotten into a fistfight with earlier, according to an arrest warrant.
Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu told investigators that one of the bullets grazed
his neck.
"This was not an easy decision," defense attorney Mark Eiglarsh said in a
statement Wednesday. "Antonio believes in his innocence. He believes strongly
in his Stand Your Ground defense, and he believes he would ultimately prevail
at trial. But when prosecutors put an offer on the table that transforms a
potential decades-long prison sentence into a significantly reduced charge and
probation, there was simply no way he could reasonably turn it down."
The Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office declined to comment on Wednesday, with
spokesperson Ed Griffith saying the details would be "fully clarified" at next
week's hearing.
Brown has said on social media that he was defending himself from an attack and
that others were trying to steal jewelry from him.
Brown, 38, spent 12 years in the NFL and was an All-Pro wide receiver who last
played in 2021 for Tampa Bay, including a Super Bowl championship with
quarterback Tom Brady. He spent much of his career with Pittsburgh. For his
career, Brown had 928 receptions for more than 12,000 yards and accounted for
88 total touchdowns, counting punt returns and one pass.
Brown was extradited in November 2025 from Dubai, where he has business
interests, after an arrest warrant on the attempted murder charge was issued in
June 2025.
Brown has dealt with several legal problems over the years. He previously had
been accused of battery of a moving truck driver, several domestic violence
charges, failure to pay child support and other incidents. During a 2021 game
with Tampa Bay against the New York Jets, Brown took off his jersey, shoulder
pads and gloves and ran off the field, leading to his release by the Buccaneers
and effectively ending his football career.
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