Former NFL star Antonio Brown to avoid possibility of 30 years in prison with plea deal

Former NFL star Antonio Brown plans to accept a plea deal on an attempted murder charge in Miami, his lawyer said Wednesday. Doing so will mean the former wide receiver avoids prison.

Brown is scheduled to appear in court next Wednesday to make the deal final. He could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted of the current attempted murder charge.

“They made [Brown] an offer he couldn’t refuse,” Brown’s attorney, Mark Eiglarsh, said in a statement. “There is a profound difference between believing you can win a case and deciding that you and your family cannot afford to spend another year, or potentially several years, wearing an ankle monitor and fighting it.”

Brown is accused of grabbing a handgun from a member of security after a celebrity boxing match in Miami in May 2025. The 38-year-old is then alleged to have 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.

Nantaumbu’s attorney, Richard L Cooper, said this month that his client has forgiven Brown and would no longer take part in the case against the former player.

“We believe that the ends of justice are accomplished with this plea deal, and my client wishes Mr Brown good health,” Cooper told ESPN on Wednesday.

Eiglarsh said Brown would accept a charge of aggravated assault as part of the plea deal.

“There’s no prison, there’s no jail, there’s no house arrest. There’s only straight probation,” Eiglarsh told ESPN. “And no alcohol or drug evaluation, no psychological evaluation, no letter of apology, no community service hours, no fines. Just stay away from the victim.”

The Miami native played 12 NFL seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, becoming one of the most prolific receivers of his era. He caught 928 passes for 12,291 yards and 83 touchdowns over 146 career games and was named to the Pro Bowl seven times, earning first-team All-Pro honors in four consecutive seasons from 2014 to 2017.

Brown won a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay in the 2020 season, catching a touchdown pass from Tom Brady in the game. His career ended in 2021 after he dramatically exited a game mid-play, removing his jersey and jogging off the field.