Antonio Brown avoids jail time, pleads guilty to lesser charge in 2025 Miami shooting

Former NFL star Antonio Brown pleaded guilty Friday to aggravated assault with a firearm related to a 2025 shooting outside a celebrity boxing match in Miami. 

Brown, 38, was sentenced to three years’ probation. During that time, he is required to attend weekly counseling sessions and not possess a gun, among other conditions.

The Associated Press reported that Brown’s plea to the lesser charge allows him to avoid prison time and a criminal conviction.

RELATED: Antonio Brown wanted for alleged attempted murder after incident at boxing event: report

Brown was charged with attempted murder after police said he grabbed a gun from a security staffer at the event and fired two shots at a man he had been in a fistfight with earlier.

The Super Bowl champion receiver claimed he was defending himself from an attack as others were trying to steal his jewelry.

Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, the victim in the shooting, has said previously that he’s since forgiven Brown.

According to the AP, Florida’s Stand Your Ground law permits individuals who think they face death or serious injury to use deadly force to defend themselves without a duty to retreat.

Who is Antonio Brown?

The backstory:

Antonio Brown played 12 years in the NFL, most of his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. In 2021, Brown won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with quarterback Tom Brady. 

However, the following season, the receiver’s career ended when he took off his jersey, shoulder pads and gloves and ran off the field during a game. The Buccaneers released him following the incident. 

Brown has endured other legal problems in recent years. He previously was accused of battery on a moving truck driver, several domestic violence charges, failure to pay child support and other incidents.

In November 2025, Brown was extradited from Dubai after an arrest warrant on the attempted murder charge was issued in June of the same year, the AP reported. 

The Source: Information for this story was provided by The Associated Press, which cites comments from Antonio Brown’s lawyer about the case. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.