Former NFL star Antonio Brown could face up to 30 years in prison if he’s convicted of attempted murder with a gun charge, a prosecutor said Monday.
Brown was formally arraigned in Miami-Dade Circuit Court via video. His lawyer, Mark Eiglarsh, repeated that Brown already entered a not guilty plea. He was released from jail last week on a $25,000 bond and is required to wear a GPS ankle monitor.
Former NFL star wide receiver Antonio Brown walks after being released from the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, in Miami.(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
The attempted murder charge against the Super Bowl champion carries a maximum 15-year prison sentence in many cases. But Assistant State Attorney Stephanie Cruz said that because Brown was accused of using a gun, he could face double that time because of a firearm sentencing enhancement.
The law also carries a possible 20-year minimum mandatory sentence upon conviction.
Brown, 37, is accused of grabbing a handgun from a security officer after an incident following a celebrity boxing match in Miami back in May. Brown allegedly fired two shots at a man he had gotten into a fistfight with earlier in the night, according to an arrest warrant.
Former NFL star wide receiver Antonio Brown, left, stands at a food truck with his attorney Mark Russell Eiglarsh, right, after being released from the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, in Miami.(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
The alleged victim, Zul-Qarnain Kwambe Nantambu, told investigators that one of the bullets grazed his neck.
Eiglarsh said in a previous hearing that the affidavit was mistaken and that Brown used his personal firearm and the shots were not fired at anyone. Brown had previously stated on his social media that he was defending himself from people who were trying to steal jewelry from him.
Brown arrived back in the U.S. last week from Dubai. The initial arrest warrant was issued in June.
Antonio Brown (81) of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers warms up before the game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. The game took place in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Jan. 2, 2022.(Elsa/Getty Images)
Antonio Brown, on the screen, appears for his bond hearing via Zoom requesting bail after his attorney, Mark Eiglarsh, right, filed a written plea of “not guilty” to the attempted murder charge in Bond Court (Courtroom 1-5) with Judge Mindy S. Glazer, center, presiding at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, in Miami, Florida.
Carl Juste
cjuste@miamiherald.com
Former NFL star Antonio Brown made his first appearance in a Miami court on Wednesday morning — with a judge granting him a bond in his attempted murder case.
At the hearing, Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Mindy Glazer allowed Brown to post a $25,000 bond to get out of jail. Glazer also placed Brown on a low-level house arrest, which allows him to work while wearing an ankle monitor, and ordered him to stay away from the victim.
Brown appeared via Zoom from jail and was quiet throughout the proceeding.
On Tuesday, Brown, 37, was extradited to Miami from Essex County, New Jersey. Law enforcement originally apprehended Brown in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Brown’s Instagram posts show he had been in the Middle East for the last few months.
The former All-Pro wide receiver was wanted on an attempted murder charge stemming from a May 16 dispute at a boxing event hosted by influencer Adin Ross. Brown entered a plea of not guilty, attorney Mark Eiglarsh told the Miami Herald.
At the bond court hearing, prosecutor Kimberly Rivera said the state sought to keep Brown in jail until his trial because he had “fled the country.”
“He was supposed to surrender; he did not,” Rivera said.
Brown, Eiglarsh said, was not on the run. Brown has business in Dubai — and hired Eiglarsh to surrender before he was extradited.
Mark Eiglarsh, right, pleas for bond for Antonio Brown as he challenges the account of the shooting after he filed a written plea of “not guilty” to the attempted murder charge in Bond Court (Courtroom 1-5) with Judge Mindy S. Glazer, center, presiding at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, in Miami, Florida. Carl Juste cjuste@miamiherald.com
“He went there in May, before any warrant was issues,” Eiglarsh said. “From the scene, police let him leave.”
Ex-NFL star Antonio Brown was extradited from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to face trial for an attempted murder stemming from shooting in May, Miami police say. Miami-Dade Jail
Video of the incident outside the boxing event showed Brown appearing to hold a gun and running out of frame. Seconds later, gunshots were heard.
Brown allegedly punched Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, a 41-year-old, during the scuffle before the shooting. Detectives interviewed Nantambu, who said he tried to leave after Brown attacked him. But Brown, he asserted, chased him with a gun and fired at him — possibly grazing his neck.
“The actions he was forced to take were solely in self-defense against the alleged victim’s violent behavior. Brown was attacked that night and acted within his legal right to protect himself,” Eiglarsh said in a statement.
Former NFL player Antonio Brown takes a selfie with fans after the fourth quarter of an NBA game between the Miami Heat and the Brooklyn Nets at FTX Arena in Downtown Miami, Florida, on Saturday, March 26, 2022. Daniel A. Varela dvarela@miamiherald.com
Eiglarsh, Brown’s defense attorney, displayed a photo of Nantambu’s injury on his neck — and argued that it was inconsistent with being grazed by a bullet. At the hearing, prosecutors said Nantambu was not hit by a bullet.
Mark Eiglarsh, right, Antonio Brown’s attorney, holds a photo of Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu’s neck as he challenges the account of the shooting after he filed a written plea of “not guilty” to the attempted murder charge in Bond Court (Courtroom 1-5) with Judge Mindy S. Glazer, center, presiding at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, in Miami, Florida. Carl Juste cjuste@miamiherald.com
After Rivera and Eiglarsh sparred about the shooting, Judge Glazer said the circumstances around the incident mostly reflect an aggravated assault rather than an attempted murder. The judge, however, did not reduce Brown’s charges.
Brown, the warrant says, was detained and searched. No firearm was found on him, although police found two spent shell casings and a damaged right-handed holster outside the venue. He was released because the man shot, later identified as Nantambu, was no longer at the venue. Nantambu had gone to HCA Florida Aventura Hospital to seek medical care.
After the scuffle, the former All-Pro wide receiver said on X he was jumped by multiple individuals who tried to steal my jewelry and cause physical harm to me.”
Antonio Brown, on the screen, appears for his bond hearing via Zoom requesting bail after his attorney, Mark Eiglarsh, right, filed a written plea of “not guilty” to the attempted murder charge in Bond Court (Courtroom 1-5) with Judge Mindy S. Glazer, center, presiding at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, in Miami, Florida. Carl Juste cjuste@miamiherald.com
When the warrant was issued for the Miami native’s arrest in June, he had an attorney who secured him a $10,000 bond, including house arrest. But as months went by, Brown never turned himself in — and police would not divulge whether they planned on extraditing him.
Attorney Richard Cooper, who is representing Nantambu, told the Herald that Nantambu is grateful to law enforcement “for bringing the defendant back after this dangerous criminal had fled the country.”
“It was Mr. Brown’s intention to kill my client,” Cooper said at the hearing, alleging that Brown fired at Nantambu randomly.
Grethel covers courts and the criminal justice system for the Miami Herald. She graduated from the University of Florida (Go Gators!), speaks Spanish and Arabic and loves animals, traveling, basketball and good storytelling. Grethel also attends law school part time.
Ex-NFL star Antonio Brown was extradited from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to face trial for an attempted murder stemming from shooting in May, Miami police say.
Miami-Dade Jail
Former NFL star Antonio Brown on Tuesday returned to Miami, as he now sits behind the bars of the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, after spending months on the lam in the Middle East to evade an attempted murder case in May.
Brown was extradited to Miami from Essex County, New Jersey, where law enforcement took him Thursday after apprehending him in Dubai.
Mark Eiglarsh, his attorney, told the Miami Herald that he filed a written plea of not guilty to the attempted murder charge. Brown is set to appear in Miami court for a bail hearing at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
“The actions he was forced to take were solely in self-defense against the alleged victim’s violent behavior. Brown was attacked that night and acted within his legal right to protect himself,” Eiglarsh said in a press release.
Ex-NFL star Antonio Brown was extradited from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to face trial for an attempted murder stemming from shooting in May, Miami police say. Essex County Department of Corrections
On May 16, Brown got into a dispute at a boxing event hosted by influencer Adin Ross. The former All-Pro wide receiver said on X he was jumped by multiple individuals who tried to steal my jewelry and cause physical harm to me.” Video posted to social media showed Brown appearing to hold a gun and running out of frame. Seconds later, gunshots were heard.
Brown allegedly punched Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, a 41-year-old, during the scuffle before the shooting. An off-duty lieutenant with the Florida Highway Patrol broke up the fight.
Brown, the warrant says, was detained and searched. No firearm was found on him, although police found two spent shell casings and a damaged right-handed holster outside the venue. He was released because the man shot, later identified as Nantambu, was no longer at the venue.
When the warrant was issued for the Miami native’s arrest in June, he had an attorney who secured him a $10,000 bond, including house arrest. But as months went by, Brown never turned himself in — and police would not divulge whether they planned on extraditing him.
Miami Herald staff writer Grethel Aguila contributed to this report.
Miami Herald Cops and Breaking News Reporter Devoun Cetoute covers a plethora of Florida topics, from breaking news to crime patterns. He was on the breaking news team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2022. He’s a graduate of the University of Florida, born and raised in Miami-Dade. Theme parks, movies and cars are on his mind in and out of the office. Support my work with a digital subscription
Former NFL star Antonio Brown was returning Tuesday to Miami to face an attempted murder charge stemming from a May shooting, with his lawyer filing a not guilty plea on his behalf.
Jail records in Essex County, New Jersey, show Brown was released late Tuesday morning for the transfer to Florida. The former All-Pro wide receiver had waived extradition to Florida from New Jersey, where he was brought following his arrest in Dubai.
This photo provided by the Essex County Department of Corrections shows former NFL player Antonio Brown on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025.
Essex County Department of Corrections via AP
Brown’s lawyer, Mark Eiglarsh, said in an email that he has already filed a written not guilty plea to the attempted murder charge. Brown could be in a Miami courtroom as early as Wednesday morning for a bond hearing, Eiglarsh said.
According to an arrest warrant, Brown is accused of grabbing a handgun from a security staffer after a celebrity boxing match on May 16 and firing two shots at a man he had gotten into a fistfight with earlier. The victim, Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, told investigators that one of the bullets grazed his neck.
Eiglarsh said Brown was simply protecting himself from a person he had problems with before.
“The actions he was forced to take were solely in self-defense against the alleged victim’s violent behavior. Brown was attacked that night and acted within his legal right to protect himself,” Eiglarsh said.
Brown was not immediately arrested that night because initially police did not identify Nantambu as a victim. It wasn’t until May 21 that Nantambu gave a full statement about the incident to police and identified Brown as the shooter, the affidavit states.
Based on his social media posts, Brown had been living in Dubai for several months. In a social media post after the altercation, Brown said he was defending himself because he was “jumped by multiple individuals who tried to steal my jewelry and cause physical harm to me.”
A second-degree attempted murder charge in Florida carries a maximum 15-year prison sentence and up to a $10,000 fine in the event of a conviction.
Brown, who spent 12 years in the NFL, was an All-Pro wide receiver who last played in 2021 for Tampa Bay but spent most of his career with Pittsburgh. For his career, Brown had 928 receptions for more than 12,000 yards and scored 88 total touchdowns counting returns and one pass. He was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection.
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.
Miami-Dade authorities have issued an arrest warrant for ex-NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown, charging him with attempted murder with a firearm following a May altercation outside a celebrity boxing event
Former NFL standout Antonio Brown, 36, is now the subject of a Miami-Dade County arrest warrant on a charge of attempted murder with a firearm stemming from a shooting May 16, outside a celebrity boxing event. According to the warrant, Brown allegedly seized a handgun from a security staffer and fired two shots at a man identified as Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, after allegedly punching him. One of the bullets is reported to have grazed Nantambu’s neck. Surveillance and cellphone video obtained by investigators show Brown advancing toward Nantambu, holding a weapon, and discharging it while standing just several feet away. Brown was extradited from Dubai back to the United States on Thursday, November 6th. Brown has been vocal about the incident on social media.
#News – Ex-NFL star Antonio Brown was arrested following an altercation that led to gunshots—allegedly fired by Brown—outside Adin Ross’s boxing event last night. He was released shortly after and appeared on Adin Ross’s stream😳| #ONLYinDADEpic.twitter.com/CdDNjdE6vD
The warrant sets Brown’s bond at $10,000 and mandates house arrest upon arrest. Currently, he is listed as “wanted” by authorities.
Brown was temporarily detained by police at the scene of the May incident after officers were alerted to gunfire near the Boxing event hosted by streamer Adin Ross. Although no one was arrested at that time and no weapon was recovered, two shell casings and an empty holster were found. In a social-media post following the event, Brown reportedly claimed he had been “jumped by multiple individuals who tried to steal my jewelry and cause physical harm to me,” and said he was released after providing his statement to police. He added, “I WENT HOME THAT NIGHT AND WAS NOT ARRESTED.”
Credit: Miami-Dade County Circuit Court
Brown took to his X account in June and stated, “That guy (referring to the alleged victim) is a fraud, liar, stalker & criminal He was arrested in 2022 for stealing 6 figures of jewelry from me He then showed up at my show at rolling loud in 2023 trying to assault me Then in May he snuck into a gate at the event and came right up to me trying to steal from me and threaten my life Media hasn’t told this story yet… instead painting a false picture of me That night I was fighting for my life with his intentions.”
That guy is a fraud, liar, stalker & criminal
He was arrested in 2022 for stealing 6 figures of jewelry from me
He then showed up at my show at rolling loud in 2023 trying to assault me
Then in May he snuck into a gate at the event and came right up to me trying to steal from… https://t.co/x6i3PkP50b
Second-degree attempted murder with a firearm carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine under Florida law. Brown’s involvement in this incident adds to a long list of legal controversies following his NFL career. Brown, once a seven-time Pro Bowl receiver who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has faced lawsuits for domestic violence, unpaid child support and other off-field issues.
The Miami-Dade police department declined to comment on the investigation.
Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown has been arrested following his extradition from Dubai to Miami. Authorities confirmed he faces a second-degree attempted murder with a firearm charge connected to a May 16 shooting.
Investigators say Brown allegedly fired a gun during an altercation outside a celebrity boxing event in Miami. A man was reportedly grazed in the neck after Brown grabbed a security guard’s weapon and fired twice. Miami-Dade police issued a warrant for his arrest in June, setting a $10,000 bond and requesting his surrender.
Brown, who had traveled overseas before the warrant was issued, was detained in Dubai and later extradited back to the United States. His attorney says Brown maintains his innocence and claims he acted in self-defense after being attacked.
The former Pittsburgh Steelers star has faced multiple legal issues since leaving the NFL, including domestic disputes and financial lawsuits. If convicted, Brown could face up to 15 years in prison. The case remains under investigation, and Brown is expected to appear in court later this week.
No charges will be filed against former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown following an apparent domestic incident at a Tampa, Florida, home in late November, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Investigators completed a review of all available evidence and decided to drop the misdemeanor battery charges, the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office said in a statement. A warrant for Brown’s arrest has also been recalled.
Tampa police enlisted the state attorney’s office’s assistance to determine whether there was probable cause to arrest Brown, 34, after a verbal altercation on Nov. 28. A police report said Brown threw a shoe at a woman, attempted to evict her from the home and locked her out.
“Based on the facts and circumstances known to both agencies from extensive on-scene interviews by law enforcement of the alleged victim, it was determined that probable cause existed to issue an arrest warrant on one count of misdemeanor first degree battery,” the state attorney’s statement said.
Investigators sought an in-person statement under oath from the woman prior to making a final charging decision, which included the possibility of upgrading the charge to a felony. But during a Dec. 16 interview, the victim recanted her previous allegations “regarding Mr. Brown’s intent to strike her or cause her bodily harm,” the statement said.
Investigators analyzed the new information provided by the victim, along with the body camera video from the scene, an investigation by Child Protective Services investigation and the denial of a temporary protection order. The state attorney’s office then “determined we could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt a battery took place,” the statement said.
The agency said that cases involving domestic violence “are often difficult and involve conflicting evidence.”
Brown’s contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was terminated a few days after he tossed his equipment into the stands and left in the middle of a Jan. 2 game. Brown had said he was pressured to play injured, but then-Tampa Bay coach Bruce Arians said Brown was upset about not getting the ball enough.
Brown has a long history of troubled behavior on and off the field, including being accused by two women of sexual assault, one of whom said Brown raped her. In the 2021 season, he served a three-game suspension for misrepresenting his COVID-19 vaccination status.
He was also suspended for eight games in 2020 for multiple violations of the NFL’s personal conduct policy, after pleading no contest to burglary and criminal mischief charges related to a fight with a moving truck driver outside his South Florida home that year.
Brown started his career with the Steelers, and was named to the All-Pro team four times and selected for seven Pro Bowls during his nine seasons in Pittsburgh. He was later traded to the Raiders, but never played in a regular-season game because he was released following several off-field incidents. Then New England signed him, but released him a few weeks later after a second woman in 10 days accused him of sexual misconduct.
