Ex-NFL star Antonio Brown, once charged with attempted murder, gets probation

Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald on Nov 6, 2026

Published in Football

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MIAMI — Former NFL star Antonio Brown pleaded guilty on Friday to a reduced charge in his attempted murder case.

Brown, 38, will have to complete three years of probation after he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon before Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez. Brown was accused of shooting at Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu outside a Miami boxing event in May 2025.

The former wide receiver was facing decades in prison had he been convicted of attempted murder at trial.

Brown received a withhold of adjudication, meaning no criminal conviction will appear on his record. He must also undergo a psychological evaluation and could be ordered to seek treatment. The change of plea was the result of a deal reached with prosecutors.

During the hearing, prosecutors said they believed the deal was in the “best interest of everybody,” considering Brown will “get therapeutic treatment” and Nantambu didn’t want to cooperate in the case.

Outside the courtroom, Brown’s attorney Mark Eiglarsh celebrated the plea agreement, telling reporters Brown is looking forward to putting the criminal case behind him.

“He was given an offer he just couldn’t refuse,” Eiglarsh said. “Probation was too good to turn down, and we’re both very excited about the outcome.”

Before walking away, Brown said, “I thank God.”

Last November, Brown was extradited from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to Miami in connection with the May 16, 2025, shooting. The former All-Pro wide receiver, who was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2022 following his mid-game walkout, was wanted on an attempted-murder charge stemming from a dispute at the boxing event hosted by influencer Adin Ross.

Despite prosecutors claiming that the Miami-born Brown was a flight risk, Brown was granted a $25,000 bond. Since posting bail, he has been on a low-level house arrest, which allows him to work while wearing an ankle monitor.

Gunfire outside boxing match

At the boxing venue in Little Haiti, Brown was accused of punching Nantambu during a scuffle outside a warehouse at 221 NE 67th St. Detectives interviewed Nantambu, who said he tried to leave after Brown attacked him. But Brown, he asserted, chased him with a gun and fired at him — possibly grazing his neck.

Video of the incident showed Brown appearing to hold a gun and running out of frame. Seconds later, gunshots were heard.

At the scene, Brown, according to his arrest warrant, was detained and searched. No firearm was found on him, although police found two spent shell casings and a damaged right-handed holster outside the venue.

He was released because the man who was shot at, later identified as Nantambu, was no longer at the venue.

Brown and Nantambu had a history, court records show.

More than three years ago, Brown falsely accused Nantambu, who designs and sells jewelry, of stealing $3 million in jewelry from him, the documents say. The man spent a month in a Middle Eastern jail before proving that Brown lied.

A Broward judge awarded Nantambu just under $970,000 in damages after Brown failed to respond to the lawsuit. That judgment, however, was overturned after a procedural issue. Brown filed for bankruptcy in May 2024, barring a retrial of Nantambu’s lawsuit.