Antonio Brown’s lawyer entered a not guilty plea on the former NFL wide receiver’s behalf as he returned to Miami to face an attempted murder charge.
Court records from Essex County, New Jersey obtained by the Associated Press indicated that Brown was released Tuesday morning in order to be transferred to Florida.
Brown was charged with attempted murder from a shooting incident in May at a celebrity boxing event.
The 37-year-old was briefly detained in May following the altercation, which was for streamer Adin Ross. According to The Associated Press, Miami police confirmed they responded to the are around 3 a.m. after they received an alert from the gunshot-detection system ShotSpotter.
Brown shared on social media that he was “jumped by multiple individuals who tried to steal my jewelry” and physically harm him. He also said he would consult with his legal team about pressing charges on the people who he alleged jumped him.
Videos of the incident circulated on social media that appears to show Brown in a fight with multiple people. He was seen apparently holding a black pistol as he pursued someone. Shots could be heard off camera shortly thereafter.
Brown’s lawyer, Mark Eiglarsh, said in an email that he has already filed a written not guilty plea to the attempted murder charge. Brown could be in a Miami courtroom as early as Wednesday morning for a bail hearing, Eiglarsh said.
According to an arrest warrant, Brown is accused of grabbing a handgun from a security staffer after a celebrity boxing match on May 16 and firing two shots at a man he had gotten into a fistfight with earlier. The victim, Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, told investigators that one of the bullets grazed his neck.
Eiglarsh said Brown was simply protecting himself from a person he had problems with before.
“The actions he was forced to take were solely in self-defense against the alleged victim’s violent behavior. Brown was attacked that night and acted within his legal right to protect himself,” Eiglarsh said.
Brown was once a star wide receiver during his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers. His behavior became erratic toward the end of his tenure and was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders in 2019. He had issues with management when he refused to wear an NFL-regulation helmet.
The Raiders released Brown and he latched on with the New England Patriots for an 11-day stint in which he played in one game. He then landed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers alongside Tom Brady.
A second-degree attempted murder charge in Florida carries a maximum 15-year prison sentence and up to a $10,000 fine in the event of a conviction.
The Associated Press contributed to this article
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