Reports: Ex-WR Antonio Brown sought on attempted murder charge

MIAMI — Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown faces a charge of attempted murder with a firearm, according to a warrant reviewed by several media outlets. The charge is based on a shooting Brown was allegedly involved in during a celebrity boxing event in Miami last month.

Brown was detained by police after gunshots were fired at the boxing event, which was hosted by online streamer Adin Ross. Brown was seen fighting with several people on a video posted to social media, and gunshots could clearly be heard after the altercation.

Police released Brown after a few hours, and he posted an explanation to social media the following day.

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“I was jumped by multiple individuals who tried to steal my jewelry and cause physical harm to me,” he wrote on his X account. “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 and attorneys on pressing charges on the individuals that jumped me.”

According to the warrant, witnesses told police officers that Brown was the shooter, and two shell casings were found at the scene. Brown was unarmed at the time he was detained, but the man he allegedly punched during the altercation told police that Brown “began to run toward him with a firearm” after the fight had already been broken up and shot at him twice.

The man identified Brown on surveillance footage and also said he has known him since 2022.

When asked Friday about the arrest warrant, a spokesperson for the Miami Police Department declined to comment, citing an “open investigation.” The spokesperson told ESPN that Brown has not turned himself in or been arrested.

According to reports, the warrant also instructs Brown to post a $10,000 bond and remain on house arrest until trial.

This is the latest in a string of on- and off-field incidents involving Brown after the abrupt conclusion of his NFL career. Once seemingly on a fast track to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the four-time All-Pro was traded by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019 to the Raiders after nine seasons with the team. However, Brown was released by the Raiders before playing a game; he injured his feet by entering a cryotherapy chamber barefoot, refused to wear his issued helmet and posted a recorded voicemail from then-coach Jon Gruden online.

Brown was picked up by the New England Patriots and played one game before he was released again, this time after a former trainer filed a lawsuit against him alleging sexual assault.

In June 2020, he pleaded no contest to a felony burglary with battery charge and two lesser misdemeanor charges related to an incident with a moving truck company outside his home. He served no jail time but received two years of probation and 100 hours of community service as part of the plea.

Brown played two seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, signing with them in October 2020 and winning his first Super Bowl. However, he walked off the field in the middle of a game in 2021, effectively ending his career in Tampa and the NFL.

ESPN’s Xuan Thai contributed to this report.