Antonio Brown avoids prison after guilty plea in Miami shooting case
Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown pleaded guilty Friday to aggravated assault with a firearm in connection with a 2025 shooting outside a celebrity boxing match in Miami, according to NBC News and the New York Post.
Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez sentenced Brown to three years of probation, the New York Post reports. During probation, Brown must attend weekly counseling sessions and must not possess a firearm, among other conditions. NBC News reports he must also undergo a mandatory psychological evaluation and weekly counseling if mandated.
The plea allows Brown to avoid prison time. He had initially been charged with attempted murder after police say he grabbed a handgun from a security staffer at the event and fired two shots at a man he had been in a fistfight with earlier. Brown faced up to 30 years in prison if convicted of the original charge, according to both sources.
Brown’s defense attorney, Mark Eiglarsh, told reporters that Brown is “extremely grateful that this is finally behind us” and that an attempted murder charge was removed. Eiglarsh added: “My client was facing 30 years in prison with a 20-year minimum mandatory and he was given an offer he just couldn’t refuse.”
Brown said outside court on Thursday: “I thank God.”
The victim, Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, told police that one of the rounds grazed his neck. NBC News reports the victim said he did not want Brown prosecuted and wanted the case to be closed. Brown maintained he was defending himself from an attack as others were trying to steal jewelry from him, according to the New York Post.
Brown last played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2021 season. He spent 12 years in the NFL, most of it with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and won a Super Bowl with the Buccaneers in 2021 under quarterback Tom Brady, according to the New York Post.
