Former NFL player Antonio Brown released from Miami jail to await attempted murder trial

MIAMI (AP) — Former NFL star wide receiver Antonio Brown walked out of a Miami jail on Thursday, released on $25,000 bail after pleading not guilty to a second-degree attempted murder charge.

Brown, 37, embraced attorney Mark Eiglarsh outside the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami. He held a bag of belongings as they walked to a nearby food truck, where Brown got a drink, and then they left in the lawyer’s vehicle.

Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer ordered Brown to wear a GPS ankle monitor as he awaits his trial. He faces a potential 15-year prison sentence and a fine up to $10,000 if convicted.

Prosecutors had sought pretrial detention, contending Brown is a high-paid former professional athlete with resources to flee. Eiglarsh told the judge Wednesday that Brown, who no longer has a passport, would return to his home in Broward County, Florida, while the case proceeds.

Brown is accused of grabbing a handgun from a security staffer after a celebrity boxing match in Miami on May 16 and firing two shots at a man he had gotten into a fistfight with earlier, according to an arrest warrant. Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu told investigators that one of the bullets grazed his neck.

Brown’s attorney said Wednesday that the affidavit is mistaken — Brown actually used his personal firearm, and the shots were not aimed at anyone.

Brown spent 12 years in the NFL and was an All-Pro wide receiver who last played in 2021 for Tampa Bay. He spent much of his career with Pittsburgh. For his career, Brown had 928 receptions for more than 12,000 yards and 88 total touchdowns, counting punt returns and one pass.