Former NFL receiver Antonio Brown expected to accept reduced charge in Miami case

Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown is scheduled to appear in a Miami courtroom on Wednesday to accept a plea agreement in an attempted-murder case, according to his attorney. Mark Eiglarsh said Brown would plead no contest to aggravated assault and receive probation. Adjudication would be withheld, meaning Brown would not be considered a convicted felon, the attorney said.

Brown could have faced up to 30 years in prison on the original charge. The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office had previously said the agreement’s details would be clarified at the hearing. Brown is accused of taking a handgun from a security staff member after a celebrity boxing match in Miami on May 16, 2025, and firing two shots at a man with whom he had earlier fought, according to an arrest warrant.

Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu told investigators that one bullet grazed his neck. Brown has said on social media that he was defending himself from an attack and that other people were trying to steal jewellery from him. Florida’s Stand Your Ground law allows people who believe they face death or serious injury to use deadly force without a duty to retreat.

Nantambu’s lawyer, Richard Cooper, called the proposed plea deal fair and said his client forgave Brown and would not cooperate with law enforcement. Brown, 38, played 12 seasons in the NFL and was an All-Pro receiver. He spent much of his career with Pittsburgh, later played for Tampa Bay and won a Super Bowl with quarterback Tom Brady.

He recorded 928 receptions, more than 12,000 receiving yards and 88 total touchdowns, including returns and a passing touchdown. His NFL career effectively ended in 2021 after he removed his jersey, shoulder pads and gloves and left the field during Tampa Bay’s game against the New York Jets. The source material also records several previous legal issues and says Brown was extradited from Dubai in November 2025 after the attempted-murder warrant was issued.