Former NFL star Antonio Brown is back in the United States to face a second-degree attempted murder charge tied to a May 16 shooting outside a celebrity boxing event in Miami.
Miami police said Brown, 37, was taken into custody in Dubai by U.S. Marshals and flown to Essex County, N.J., where he’s being held while authorities arrange his return to Florida. It wasn’t immediately clear why he was routed through New Jersey or how long he’d been abroad, though Brown has posted to social media from Dubai in recent months.
An arrest warrant, issued in June, alleges Brown grabbed a handgun from a security staffer after a post-fight melee and fired twice at a man he’d brawled with earlier, identified in records as Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu. Investigators said the victim reported a bullet grazed his neck and sought treatment. Court records do not list an attorney for Brown.
Police initially detained Brown at the scene as videos of the fracas and audible gunshots circulated online. He was released that night and addressed the incident the next day on social media.
“I was jumped by multiple individuals who tried to steal my jewelry and cause physical harm to me,” Brown wrote on X. “Contrary to some video circulating, Police temporarily detained me until they received my side of the story and then released me. I WENT HOME THAT NIGHT AND WAS NOT ARRESTED. I will be talking to my legal council (sp) and attorneys on pressing charges on the individuals that jumped me.”
Second-degree attempted murder in Florida carries a potential sentence of up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine upon conviction.
Brown’s playing career ended after a turbulent 12-year run that featured four first-team All-Pro selections and a Super Bowl ring with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but was marred by off-field incidents.
He last appeared in an NFL game in 2021 and finished with 928 receptions for 12,291 yards and 83 touchdowns, with the Pittsburgh Steelers (2010-2018), New England Patriots (2019) and Tampa Bay (2020-21). Brown also had a short, tumultuous tenure with the then-Oakland Raiders during the 2019 offseason but never played a regular-season game for the team.
Thursday’s arrest adds the most serious count to a long list of legal issues that have followed Brown since his playing days, including prior civil and criminal matters. The case now shifts to Miami, where prosecutors will decide how to proceed once he’s in local custody.
