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Former NFL star Antonio Brown is returning to Miami to face an attempted murder charge stemming from a May shooting, with his lawyer filing a not guilty plea on his behalf.
Jail records in Essex county, New Jersey, show Brown was released on Tuesday morning for his transfer to Florida. Brown, one of the most popular players in the NFL, had waived extradition to Florida from New Jersey, where he was taken after being arrested in Dubai.
Brown’s lawyer, Mark Eiglarsh, said in an email that he has already filed a written not guilty plea to the attempted murder charge. Brown could be in a Miami courtroom as early as Wednesday morning for a bond hearing, Eiglarsh said.
According to his arrest warrant, Brown is accused of grabbing a handgun from a security staffer after a celebrity boxing match in May and firing two shots at a man he had fought with earlier. The alleged victim, Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, told investigators that one of the bullets grazed his neck.
Eiglarsh said Brown was simply protecting himself from Nantambu.
“The actions he was forced to take were solely in self-defense against the alleged victim’s violent behavior. Brown was attacked that night and acted within his legal right to protect himself,” Eiglarsh said.
Brown was not immediately arrested because initially police did not identify Nantambu as a victim. It wasn’t until later in May that Nantambu gave a full statement about the incident to police and identified Brown as the shooter, the affidavit says.
Based on his social media posts, Brown had been living in Dubai for several months. In a post after the altercation, Brown said he was defending himself because he was “jumped by multiple individuals who tried to steal my jewelry and cause physical harm to me.”
A second-degree attempted murder charge in Florida carries a maximum 15-year prison sentence and up to a $10,000 fine in the event of a conviction.
Brown has dealt with several legal problems over the years. He previously had been accused of battery of a truck driver, several domestic violence charges, failure to pay child support and other incidents.
During a 2021 game with Tampa Bay against the New York Jets, Brown took off his jersey, shoulder pads and gloves and ran off the field, leading to his release by the Buccaneers and effectively ending his football career.
Brown, who spent 12 years in the NFL, was an All-Pro wide receiver spent most of his career with Pittsburgh. For his career, Brown had 928 receptions for more than 12,291 yards, the 28th most of all time. He was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection.
