After facing up to 30 years in prison after an arrest attempted murder, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown is walking away with what could only be considered a huge legal victory.
“Former NFL star Antonio Brown, who was accused of opening fire at a man in Miami last year, pleads guilty to a lesser charge in a deal that’ll keep him out of prison,” NBC News wrote on its official X account on Friday.
Brown, 38, is a 5-time NFL All-Pro who played 12 seasons in the NFL and won a Super Bowl with the Buccaneers following the 2020 season.
“BREAKING: Former NFL star Antonio Brown avoids prison after pleading guilty to aggravated assault with a firearm in his Miami attempted murder case,” Los Angeles Magazine wrote on its official X account. “Brown, who faced up to 30 years behind bars, received 3 years of probation, mandatory weekly counseling and a firearm ban. He can seek early termination after roughly 18 months and will not have a criminal conviction under the deal. The case stems from allegations he fired two shots at a man outside a 2025 boxing event.”
Terrifying Details in Miami Shooting
Brown and his attorneys used Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” defense to try to have his attempted murder charges dropped.
“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’s attorney, Mark Eiglarsh, told reporters on Friday. “Probation was too good to turn down, and we’re both very excited about the outcome.”
According to police reports, Brown took a gun from a security guard after a boxing match on May 16, 2025, in Miami, and opened fire on Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, who he’d been in a fistfight with earlier that night.
Nantambu said he was grazed in the neck by a bullet, but also said he didn’t want to press charges.
Brown’s final game in the NFL came in 2021 with the Buccaneers, when he left MetLife Stadium midway through a game against the New York Jets, shirtless and waving to the crowd. Brown was released several days later and never played football again.
Brown, who had an estimated $80.7 million in career earnings, filed for bankruptcy in May 2024, listing $3 million in debts and just $50,000 in assets.
“I did what was best for me,” Brown said during an appearance on The Pivot podcast in June 2024. “That’s what my therapist tells me — if I have a trauma or trigger, I’m going to walk away. I didn’t do nothing wrong, I took off my equipment, and took off my shirt, and waived to the people that love me, and walked away. That’s what my therapist advised me to do.”
Ex-Bucs WR Antonio Brown Receives Sentence in Attempted Murder Case