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Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a firearm in a Miami court on Friday (November 6). This plea deal allows him to avoid jail time after a 2025 incident involving a shooting outside a celebrity boxing match. Brown was sentenced to three years of probation, during which he must attend weekly counseling sessions and is prohibited from possessing a firearm, as reported by ESPN.
Initially charged with attempted murder, Brown faced up to 30 years in prison. The charges stemmed from an altercation where he allegedly took a gun from a security guard and fired at a man he had been fighting with earlier. Brown claimed self-defense, stating he was protecting himself from an attack as others attempted to steal his jewelry. Florida's Stand Your Ground law supports the use of deadly force in self-defense without a duty to retreat.
Prosecutor Howard Rosen explained that the charge was reduced due to uncertainty about Brown's intent to shoot the victim, who was walking away from the altercation. The victim, Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, was grazed in the neck but did not wish to press charges and has publicly forgiven Brown. Rosen stated, "Rather than the entire case going away and there being no opportunity for Mr. Brown to receive what's ultimately going to be some therapeutic treatment, we all came together—the defense and the state—and decided that this was in the best interest of everybody."
Brown, who spent 12 years in the NFL, primarily with the Pittsburgh Steelers, won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021. His career effectively ended after a 2022 incident where he left the field mid-game. Brown has faced other legal issues, including accusations of battery and domestic violence charges.
His lawyer, Mark Eiglarsh, expressed gratitude for the resolution, noting the plea deal was an offer they couldn't refuse given the potential 30-year sentence. Brown, now 38, thanked God and expressed a desire to "get back to life" and his family.