MIAMI - Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown plans to accept a plea deal on an attempted murder charge in Miami that would keep him out of prison, his lawyer said Wednesday.
Brown is set to appear in court on Sept. 30 to make the deal final. He could have faced up to 30 years in prison if a jury convicted him.
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An arrest warrant says Brown grabbed a handgun from a security staffer after a celebrity boxing match in Miami on May 16, 2025 and fired two shots at a man he had fought earlier.
Investigators identified that man as Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu. Nantambu told investigators one bullet grazed his neck.
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“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.”
Brown has said on social media that he was defending himself from an attack and that others were trying to steal jewelry from him.
Richard Cooper, an attorney for Nantambu, called the plea deal fair.
“We are satisfied that justice is served. My client maintains what he said previously: that he forgives Brown and will not cooperate with law enforcement,” Cooper said in an email Wednesday. “We wish Mr. Brown good health and that he grows from this event.”
Brown, 38, spent 12 years in the NFL and last played in 2021 for Tampa Bay. He won a Super Bowl with quarterback Tom Brady and spent much of his career with Pittsburgh.
For his career, Brown had 928 receptions for more than 12,000 yards and 88 total touchdowns, including punt returns and one pass.
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