Former NFL Star wide receiver Antonio Brown will be released on $25,000 bail and required to wear a GPS ankle monitor on an attempted murder charge in Florida, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Brown, 37, has pleaded not guilty to attempted second-degree murder, which carries a 15-year prison sentence and a fine of up to $10,000 if convicted. His lawyer, Mark Eiglash, said Brown will return to his home in Broward County, Florida, while the case proceeds.
“He no longer has a passport. He will be living at his home. I look forward to working diligently with him on this case,” Eiglash told District Judge Mindy Glaser at the bond hearing.
Brown appeared at the hearing via video wearing a red prison shirt and spoke only to answer questions from the judge. Prosecutors asked for pretrial detention, arguing that Brown is a former highly paid professional athlete who has the resources to flee.
Brown is accused of taking a security officer's gun, according to an arrest warrant. following a celebrity boxing match in Miami on May 16th. and fired two shots at a man with whom he had previously fought. The victim, Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, told investigators that one of the bullets grazed his neck.
Brown's attorney said Wednesday that the affidavit was flawed and that Brown did in fact use his personal firearm and that the shots were not aimed at anyone.
“It was my client’s own gun,” Eiglarsh said.
Based on his social media posts, Brown had been living in Dubai for several months. In a social media post after the altercation, Brown said he was defending himself because he was “attacked by several people who were trying to steal my jewelry and physically harm me.”
Eiglash said Brown had unspecified business interests in Dubai and had always intended to turn himself in on the attempted murder charge.
“He did not flee to Dubai,” the lawyer said. “He always had the desire and intention to respond to this case.”
Brown, who spent 12 years in the NFL, was an All-Pro wide receiver. last played in 2021 with Tampa Bay but spent most of his career in Pittsburgh. During his career, Brown has 928 receptions for over 12,000 yards and has 88 touchdowns, including punt returns and one pass.
