Antonio Brown, a former NFL standout, was apprehended in Dubai and subsequently extradited to the U.S. He now faces charges of attempted murder linked to a shooting incident during a celebrity boxing event in Miami this past May.
According to Mike Vega, a spokesperson for the Miami police, the 37-year-old ex-wide receiver is currently detained in New Jersey before being transported back to Florida, as reported by ESPN.
The reasons behind his temporary detention in New Jersey remain unclear. Brown has reportedly spent several months in Dubai, evidenced by numerous social media posts from the region.
The arrest warrant details that on May 16, Brown attended a boxing match where he allegedly engaged in a physical altercation with Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu. During the scuffle, Brown purportedly seized a handgun from a security guard and discharged it twice, grazing Nantambu’s neck.
Initially detained, Brown was released after several hours. The following day, he took to social media to claim that multiple people had attacked him, aiming to steal his jewelry and inflict harm.
“Despite some circulating videos, police only detained me briefly to hear my side of the story before releasing me,” he stated online. “I RETURNED HOME THAT NIGHT WITHOUT ARREST. I plan to consult with my legal team about pursuing charges against those who assaulted me.”
The video in question showed Brown fighting with several people, and gunshots are heard in the video.
The warrant charges Brown with attempted second degree murder.
Brown spent 12 year in the National Football League, most of that time with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He last played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021, when he took his jersey, shoulder pads, and gloves and ran off the field during a game with the New York Jets. The Buccaneers released him after the incident, effectively ending his career.
He has also had several run-ins with law enforcement over the years, including several domestic violence charges, failure to pay child support, and battery of a moving truck driver.
