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Former NFL standout Antonio Brown has pleaded not guilty to a charge of second-degree attempted murder, telling the court through his attorney that he acted in self-defense during a May shooting at a celebrity boxing event in Miami.
Brown, 37, was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Dubai and extradited to the United States to face charges connected to a chaotic May 16 altercation outside a boxing event hosted by streamer Adin Ross. According to a warrant, Brown allegedly retrieved a handgun from a security guard and fired two shots, one of which grazed the neck of the alleged victim, Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu.
After his arrest overseas, Brown was held in Essex County, New Jersey, before being transferred to Miami-Dade. At a virtual hearing on November 12, a judge set bond at $25,000, ordered him to wear a GPS ankle monitor, surrender his passport, and remain under house arrest.
Attorney Mark Eiglarsh filed a written plea and said Brown’s actions were “solely in self-defense.”
“Brown was attacked that night and acted within his legal right to protect himself,” Eiglarsh told the AP.
Brown later claimed he has symptoms consistent with CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head trauma among football players.
“I got CTE, I blacked out… I don’t know what happened,” he said on a livestream with Adin Ross.
Clips circulating online show Brown in a scuffle with several people outside the venue. Moments later, he appears to lunge forward holding an object before two gunshots are heard.
Police later confirmed that Brown was identified as the shooter following interviews with eyewitnesses and a review of footage.
Brown claimed on social media he was “jumped by multiple individuals” attempting to rob him and that he “didn’t come there looking for violence.”
Under Florida law, second-degree attempted murder carries up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Legal analyst and former Miami prosecutor David Weinstein told Local 10 News:
“Self-defense claims hinge on whether the threat was imminent and unavoidable. The video evidence will play a major role in determining that.”
Brown’s previous release on the night of the incident and his subsequent travel abroad may also influence how the court views his “reasonable fear” argument.
The shooting has thrown a harsh light on the fast-growing world of celebrity-boxing events, where social-media personalities and ex-athletes share the ring. The May event, livestreamed by Adin Ross, reportedly lacked formal crowd-control and security screening procedures.
Event-liability expert Daniel Yates said the case could be “a wake-up call” for promoters:
“When entertainers bring entourages and firearms into public venues, the legal exposure isn’t limited to the fighter — it extends to the organisers, the streamers, and the venue itself.”
Legal analysts suggest that if negligence in event management contributed to the chaos, Brown’s attorneys could argue that poor oversight created a “dangerous environment,” bolstering his self-defense narrative.
A seven-time Pro Bowler, Brown spent 12 seasons in the league — primarily with the Pittsburgh Steelers, later joining the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Off the field, his career was marked by controversies: battery allegations, domestic-violence investigations, and the infamous 2021 game walk-off that effectively ended his NFL tenure.
The latest charge adds another chapter to an already turbulent post-career saga that continues to blur the line between sports celebrity and criminal accountability.
Prosecutors will present witness statements and forensic reports in the coming weeks. The defence is expected to request suppression of certain social-media footage and could pursue a plea deal if evidence becomes overwhelming.
The case’s next court date is scheduled for December 5 in Miami-Dade Circuit Court.
Observers say the trial could set precedent for how celebrity-event shootings are prosecuted, especially when the accused invokes both self-defense and neurological impairment.
Before his latest legal battle, Brown was already no stranger to off-field headlines. In October 2022, videos surfaced appearing to show the former wide receiver exposing himself to guests at a Dubai hotel swimming pool.
According to reports from The U.S. Sun and New York Post, Brown was filmed thrusting near a woman and pulling himself out of the water naked at the Armani Hotel Dubai on May 14, 2022. Witnesses said the woman appeared upset and later complained to hotel staff, after which Brown was allegedly asked to leave the property.
The clip, which went viral on social media, sparked outrage and another wave of controversy for the ex-NFL star. Brown, however, rejected the claims as “disinformation,” insisting that the woman “ran off with [his] swim trunks” and that coverage of the incident was racially biased.
“Every chance they get to sway the heat off themselves they use me,” Brown wrote in a since-deleted Twitter post. “In the video you can clearly see she runs off with my swim trunks.”
At the time, Brown had been in the United Arab Emirates to watch Floyd Mayweather Jr. compete in an exhibition match in Abu Dhabi. The episode deepened concerns about Brown’s conduct abroad and added to a string of prior controversies — from his mid-game walk-off with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021 to earlier assault and battery charges in Florida.
Legal observers later noted that the Dubai incident, though never prosecuted, amplified public scrutiny of Brown’s behavior and could influence jury perception in his current attempted-murder case.
