Antonio Brown Plans To Accept Plea Deal To Avoid Prison Time In Attempted Murder Case (UPDATE)

Antonio Brown plans to accept a plea deal in an attempted murder case in Miami. The deal will have the former NFL star wide receiver avoid prison time on the reduced charge. His lawyer said Wednesday (Sept. 23) the agreement with prosecutors was too good to turn down.

RELATED: Antonio Brown Enters Plea For Attempted Murder Charge Amid Release From Miami Jail (UPDATE)

What Happens Next For Antonio Brown? 

Antonio Brown will appear in court on Sept. 30 to finalize the deal. Defense attorney Mark Eiglarsh said AB will plead no contest to aggravated assault. His sentence will include probation without adjudication. This means Brown will not be considered a convicted felon, the attorney said. Brown could have faced up to 30 years in prison if convicted of the original attempted murder charge. AB was extradited in November 2025 from Dubai, where he has business interests. Officials had previously issued an arrest warrant on the attempted murder charge in June 2025.

Meanwhile, the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office declined to comment on Wednesday. Spokesperson Ed Griffith said the details would be “fully clarified” at next week’s hearing. Antonio Brown has said on social media that he was defending himself from an attack and that others were trying to steal jewelry from him.

What Did AB Allegedly Do?

Brown is accused of grabbing a handgun from a security staffer after a celebrity boxing match in Miami on May 16, 2025. Also, he allegedly fired two shots at a man he had gotten into a fistfight with earlier, according to an arrest warrant. Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu told investigators that one of the bullets grazed his neck.

“This was not an easy decision,” Defense Attorney Eiglarsh said in a statement Wednesday. “Antonio believes in his innocence. He believes strongly in his Stand Your Ground defense, and he believes he would ultimately prevail at trial. But when prosecutors put an offer on the table that transforms a potential decades-long prison sentence into a significantly reduced charge and probation, there was simply no way he could reasonably turn it down.”

Florida’s so-called Stand Your Ground law allows people who believe they face death or serious injury to use deadly force to defend themselves without a duty to retreat. Also, Richard Cooper, an attorney for Nantambu, called the plea deal fair.

“We are satisfied that justice is served. My client maintains what he said previously: that he forgives Brown and will not cooperate with law enforcement,” Cooper said in an email Wednesday. “We wish Mr. Brown good health and that he grows from this event.”

In a previous statement, his attorneys said that Nantambu had decided to forgive Antonio Brown after “considerable reflection, prayer, and consultation with his family and counsel.”

AB Has A History Of Legal Issues

Antonio Brown has dealt with several legal problems over the years. He previously had been accused of battery of a moving 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. This led to his release by the Buccaneers and effectively ended his football career.

The 38-year-old spent 12 years in the NFL. He was an All-Pro wide receiver and won a Super Bowl championship with quarterback Tom Brady. He spent much of his career with Pittsburgh. For his career, Brown had 928 receptions for more than 12,000 yards and accounted for 88 total touchdowns, counting punt returns and one pass.

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Associated Press writers David Fischer and Christopher Weber contributed to this report via AP Newsroom.