Antonio Brown to accept plea deal, avoid prison in second-degree attempted murder case
Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown will avoid prison after accepting a plea deal in his second-degree attempted murder case, his attorney said Wednesday. Brown is expected to appear in front of a judge to accept that deal, which will reduce the charge to aggravated assault and result in probation for Brown, per ESPN.
The development comes weeks after the alleged victim in the case said he forgave Brown and "does not wish to participate" in Brown's prosecution.
In a statement Wednesday, Brown's attorney - Mark Eiglarsh - said Brown is taking the deal because it was "an offer he couldn't refuse," per ESPN.
"There is a profound difference between believing you can win a case and deciding that you and your family cannot afford to spend another year, or potentially several years, wearing an ankle monitor and fighting it."
Eiglarsh explained that Brown will just be subject to probation as part of the agreement. He will not see prison time or be under house arrest. He will also not be subjected to drug and alcohol monitoring or psychological testing and will not have to apologize or perform community service. Brown simply has to stay away from the alleged victim to live up to the agreement.
Eiglarsh said those details made the deal something Brown could not pass up.
"No one in their right mind will continue with litigation and/or uncertain stand your ground and trial when [the prosecutors] threw that on the table."
Brown was detained last May after gunshots were fired outside a boxing event in Miami. Video of the event showed Brown in a fist fight with multiple individuals. Brown was then accused of grabbing a gun and firing it at an individual. One of the bullets fired by Brown reportedly grazed's the alleged victims neck, per an arrest warrant. While gunshots could be heard in footage captured at the event, Brown was not captured on video firing the gun.
While Brown was initially detained by police in May, they eventually put out an arrest warrant for the former wideout.
In November, Brown was extradited from Dubai to New Jersey to face charges of attempted murder. He pleaded not guilty a few days later, claiming he was jumped and acted in self defense.
The plea deal presumably ends yet another troubling legal situation for Brown, whose NFL career ended shortly after he was accused of rape by a former trainer in 2019. The issue was eventually settled out of court. In 2022, he was ordered to pay more than $1 million in damages after allegedly assaulting a delivery driver in 2022.
Prior to those accusations Brown was considered one of the best receivers in the NFL. From 2011 to 2018, he made seven Pro Bowls and was a first-team All Pro four times.
After being benched by the Steelers for the final game of the 2018 NFL season, Brown was traded to the then-Oakland Raiders that offseason. He played in just 16 more games over the next three seasons, with his NFL career coming to a close after he took off his jersey, pads, gloves and shirt and left in the middle of a game.