Antonio Brown accepts plea deal in attempted murder case, avoids prison

Antonio Brown has accepted a plea deal that reduces his second-degree attempted murder charge to aggravated assault, resulting in probation with no prison, jail, or house arrest, according to ESPN reporting. Brown, age 38, faced up to 30 years in prison with a mandatory minimum of 20 years under Florida law if convicted. He will appear before a judge within one week to formally accept the deal. Brown's attorney, Mark Eiglarsh, stated that the plea agreement includes no alcohol or drug evaluation, no psychological evaluation, no letter of apology, no community service hours, and no fines; only a requirement to stay away from the victim. "There is no prison, there is no jail, there is no house arrest. There is only straight probation," Eiglarsh said. The alleged victim, Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, announced on September 9 that he does not wish to participate in Brown's prosecution. Nantambu's attorney, Richard L. Cooper, stated that "the ends of justice are accomplished with this plea deal, and my client wishes Mr. Brown good health." Cooper also stated previously that Nantambu had forgiven Brown for the incident. The criminal incident involved gunfire outside an amateur boxing match in Miami's Little Haiti neighborhood in May 2025. Police said Brown punched Nantambu in the face and, along with two others, continued the attack. Nantambu walked away, according to police's description of security footage. According to a prosecutor, Brown then "chases him down with a gun and shoots at him at point-blank range." Police added that video from social media showed Brown with a gun in his hand near Nantambu, followed by two gunshots; Nantambu ducked after the first shot was heard. Brown pleaded not guilty in November 2025 and filed a motion to dismiss in December 2025 based on Florida's "stand your ground" law. According to that motion, Brown claimed he "reasonably feared" that Nantambu was armed and that Nantambu made an "aggressive movement" toward Brown. Brown's motion asserted he fired two "warning shots, intentionally aiming away from Nantambu to ensure he would not be struck," and claimed Nantambu took the weapon after a struggle and left with it. Eiglarsh said the decision to accept the deal "should not be interpreted as a retreat from his position that he acted lawfully." In a statement to ESPN, Eiglarsh explained the reasoning behind the shift: "They made [Brown] an offer he couldn't refuse. There is a profound difference between believing you can win a case and deciding that you and your family cannot afford to spend another year, or potentially several years, wearing an ankle monitor and fighting it." Brown spent 12 years in the NFL as an All-Pro wide receiver, most of his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and last played in 2021 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was released on $25,000 bail and placed on house arrest with a GPS ankle monitor.