Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown’s hearing to finalize a plea deal in his attempted second-degree murder case has been postponed.
Brown appeared in court on Wednesday, expecting to change his plea to no contest under an agreement reached with prosecutors in Miami over a May 2025 incident.
But Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez told Brown and the state of Florida that she could not accept the plea change during the scheduled hearing.
Mendez explained that she had been “in the middle of a capital sentencing hearing” and was therefore “not up to speed enough to move forward with a change of plea proceeding today.” The hearing was rescheduled for October 28.
Brown did not appear on camera during the court’s Zoom proceeding. He was later photographed leaving the courthouse with a dark hood pulled over his head.
In a statement to Our News Outlet, Brown’s attorney, Mark Eiglarsh, said: “While we are disappointed that the change of plea did not take place this morning, we remain optimistic that, once the Court has the opportunity to fully consider all of the facts and circumstances surrounding this case, the judge will accept the carefully negotiated resolution.”
Former NFL star Antonio Brown saw his plea-change hearing postponed until next month
The judge said she was “not up to speed enough to move forward with a change of plea proceeding” when Brown appeared in court on September 30
Brown left court with a black hood covering his head after the proceedings were delayed
According to a press release, the agreement is intended to help Brown avoid a potential prison sentence of up to 30 years. Instead, the Super Bowl winner would receive probation. Eiglarsh announced Brown’s intention to change his plea on September 23, saying, “They made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.”
The 38-year-old former NFL star is accused of firing shots at a longtime adversary outside a boxing event on May 16, 2025. Brown later said he acted in self-defense, claiming he left a confrontation before returning with a handgun that was ultimately discharged.
Eiglarsh said Brown believes resolving the case after more than 10 months of litigation is in the best interests of both himself and his family.
“Antonio is ready to put this behind him, continue to focus on his children, rebuild his professional opportunities, and move forward with his life,” Eiglarsh said.
“He has fought this case for more than ten and a half months. Now, he has an opportunity for something that has become increasingly important to him and his family: closure.”
The proposed resolution follows public comments from Brown’s alleged target, Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, who said he had forgiven the former wide receiver and did “not wish to participate” in the prosecution.
When contacted by Our News Outlet on September 9, Nantambu denied receiving payment in exchange for cooperating with Brown’s defense.
Richard Cooper, Nantambu’s attorney, has described the plea deal as fair. He said Nantambu forgives Brown and would not cooperate with law enforcement.
Brown’s alleged target, Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, ceased cooperating with authorities
Brown appears to draw a gun before shots are fired outside a boxing event in May 2025
The dispute between the two men dates to 2022, when Nantambu, a jewelry designer, accused Brown of stealing one of his valuable pendants in Dubai before a Floyd Mayweather Jr. boxing event.
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Nantambu further said Brown lied to police in the United Arab Emirates, accusing him of theft, resulting in Nantambu’s brief imprisonment.
Nantambu sued Brown in Florida in 2022 and ultimately won a $968,960 verdict that was later vacated in 2024 before the case was dismissed.
The jeweler has since pursued a partial reduced judgement of $123,600 in federal bankruptcy court as Brown continued to deny the allegations of theft, as seen in those filings.
The 2025 shooting took place outside an Adin Ross boxing event, where the two unexpectedly crossed paths.
Brown allegedly called security to swarm Nantambu before running to grab his gun, the jeweler told Our News Outlet last year.
In a picture purportedly from Dubai in 2022, Zül-Qarnaįn Nantambu is seen standing on a yacht. As he told Our News Outlet, it’s Antonio Brown who is pictured wearing red in the background
One video, provided to Our News Outlet by Nantambu, showed him fighting with a group of men before an individual matching Brown’s description abruptly fled. Another viral video of the incident appeared to show Brown returning to the melee with a gun in hand.
Eiglarsh conceded in a previous motion to dismiss that Brown fled the brawl only to return with a concealed firearm. However, Eiglarsh has insisted Brown only fired ‘warning shots’ while ‘intentionally aiming away from Nantambu to ensure he would not be struck.’
‘Brown hoped the warning shots would deter Nantambu’s aggression, allowing Brown to safely reach his vehicle and leave the scene,’ read the motion.
Previously, Nantambu told Our News Outlet a bullet grazed his neck during the incident.
‘He ran to get the gun. He shot at me. I think he grazed my neck. We started fighting for the gun,’ Nantambu told Our News Outlet in 2025. ‘The adrenaline is going crazy. He ran into me. I threw him on the ground. A gun fell. We start scrambling for the gun on the ground.’
Zül-Qarnaįn Nantambu, who goes by ‘@fff_zulqarnain‘ on Instagram, shared photos of his injuries with Our News Outlet. Nantambu says a bullet grazed his neck and he broke a finger
It was at this point cops arrived, according to Nantambu. Despite the violent uproar, police made no arrests and Brown wrote on X soon after that he was considering potential legal action against ‘the individuals that jumped me.’
Instead, Brown fled to Dubai before ultimately being extradited to the US in November. He has since been released from jail on $25,000 bond as his former Florida home has surfaced on the market.
It’s unclear if Brown is the seller in this case or if he’s already been relieved of the home as part of the liquidation process. A transaction record for the property shows it was put up for sale by Brown in March of 2024 but does not list any buyer. He originally purchased the property in 2021, while he was still with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brown’s attempted-murder case was just the latest dramatic episode of his turbulent life.
A legendary receiver for the Steelers who later won a title with the Bucs, Brown’s career was derailed by a series of on- and off-field incidents involving trainers, teammates, coaches and executives.
The seven-time Pro Bowler last appeared on the field in January 2022, when he was seen arguing with Bucs coaches and ripping off his pads in the middle of a game against the Jets. He then left the field, never to play in another NFL game.
