Former NFL star Antonio Brown to plead no contest in Miami shooting case, avoid jail time
Former NFL star Antonio Brown is expected to plead no contest to aggravated assault in a Miami courtroom Wednesday under a deal that calls for probation and allows him to avoid prison time in a case stemming from a 2025 shooting outside a celebrity boxing event.
Brown's plea hearing is scheduled for 8:45 a.m. Wednesday.
Defense attorney Mark Eiglarsh said adjudication will be withheld as part of the agreement, meaning Brown will not be considered a convicted felon. The second-degree attempted murder charge had exposed Brown to a potential 30-year prison sentence.
"They made him an offer he couldn't refuse," Eiglarsh previously said in a statement.
The Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office previously said details of the agreement would be clarified during Wednesday's hearing.
Brown, 38, has maintained his innocence and said that he would have prevailed due to Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law. Florida's Stand Your Ground law generally allows a person who is lawfully present and reasonably believes deadly force is necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm to use such force without a duty to retreat.
Brown has also said on social media that he was defending himself from an attack and that others were trying to steal jewelry from him.
"This was not an easy decision," Eiglarsh said in a previous statement. "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."
Richard Cooper, an attorney for Brown's accuser, Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, has called the plea deal fair. Cooper said Nantambu forgives Brown and would not cooperate with law enforcement.
What was Antonio Brown accused of doing?
In May 2025, Brown was accused of grabbing a gun from a security staffer after the boxing match on May 16 and firing two shots at a man he had gotten into a fistfight with earlier, according to an arrest warrant.
CBS News Miami obtained a video earlier this year that showed the altercation that took place before the shots were fired.
It also shows Brown pulling out a gun and running toward the alleged victim.
Nantambu said one of the bullets grazed his neck. Nantambu has since said he will no longer participate in Brown's prosecution and that he forgives Brown.
Brown was extradited from Dubai in November 2025 after an arrest warrant on the attempted murder charge was issued in June 2025. Brown has business interests in Dubai.
Antonio Brown's NFL career
Brown spent 12 seasons in the NFL and was an All-Pro wide receiver.
He spent much of his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers and last played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021. He won a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay and quarterback Tom Brady.
Brown finished his career with 928 receptions for more than 12,000 yards and 88 total touchdowns, including punt returns and one passing touchdown.
This article includes information from The Associated Press.