Former NFL player Antonio Brown will return to Miami from a New Jersey jail after deciding not to contest his extradition to Florida on an attempted murder charge, officials said Friday.
Brown, 37, was brought to the jail in Essex County, New Jersey, after his arrest by U.S. Marshals in Dubai. He waived extradition at a brief court hearing Friday.
“Brown is back at the Essex County Jail in Newark where he is awaiting pick up by Florida authorities,” said Carmen Martin, spokeswoman for the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.
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 one of the bullets grazed his neck.
“Cellphone video obtained from social media showed Mr. Brown with the firearm in his hand advancing toward Mr. Nantambu on the outside walk. The video captures two shots which occur as Mr. Brown is within several feet of Mr. Nantambu,” the arrest affidavit says. “The video also captures Mr. Nantambu ducking after the first shot is heard.”
Brown was not immediately arrested that night because initially police did not identify Nantambu as a victim. It wasn’t until May 21 that Nantambu gave a full statement about the incident to police and identified Brown as the shooter, the affidavit says.
Based on his social media posts, Brown had been living in Dubai for several months. It wasn’t immediately clear why it took investigators so long to arrest him, or why he was brought to New Jersey rather than Miami. It also wasn’t clear from court or jail records if Brown has a lawyer.
In a social media post after the altercation, Brown said he was defending himself because he was “jumped by multiple individuals who tried to steal my jewelry and cause physical harm to me.”
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.
Brown, who spent 12 years in the NFL, was an All-Pro wide receiver who last played in 2021 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but spent most of his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. For his career, Brown had 928 receptions for more than 12,000 yards and 88 touchdowns. He was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection.
He was a key part of the Buccaneers team that defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2021 Super Bowl, including a touchdown pass thrown by Tom Brady.
Brown has dealt with several legal problems over the years. He previously had been accused of battery of a moving truck driver, several domestic violence charges, failure to pay child support and other incidents.
During a 2021 game with Tampa Bay against the New York Jets, Brown took off his jersey, shoulder pads and gloves and ran off the field, leading to his release by the Buccaneers and effectively ending his football career.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
