An attorney representing former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown filed a not guilty plea on his client’s behalf Tuesday in response to the attempted murder with a firearm charge he is facing after a May shooting. Brown was on his way to Florida via transfer from a New Jersey jail this week after being extradited from Dubai to the United States to face trial earlier this month, according to the Miami Herald.
Jail records in Essex County, New Jersey, show Brown was released Tuesday for transfer. Mark Eiglarsh, Brown’s lawyer, acknowledged his client’s not guilty plea in an email to the Associated Press. Brown is expected to be inside a South Florida courtroom for his bond hearing, according to Eiglarsh.
Brown was involved in a May 16 altercation following a celebrity boxing event in Miami. Several videos from the incident circulated on social media, as well as pictures of Brown in handcuffs. Brown claimed police detained him, but released him that same night.
Brown claims on social media that he was “jumped by multiple individuals” who tried to steal his jewelry, “and cause physical harm to me.” He even said that he would speak to attorneys about pressing charges on the individuals that allegedly assaulted him.
However, one month later, a warrant obtained by The Washington Post stated that police received video footage showing Brown punching a man, and then appearing to take the gun of a security officer and run towards the individual. Two gunshots were then heard. The alleged victim in this case told investigators that a bullet possibly grazed his neck, and that he went to a local hospital to be treated. According to the warrant, patrons in the parking lot told police that Brown was the shooter.
Brown, who turned 37 in July, last played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021, and was a member of the Super Bowl LV team. Regarded as one of the best wide receivers of the 2010s, Brown earned First Team All-Pro status four times, and made seven Pro Bowls. Brown starred for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2010-18, and led the league in receptions and receiving yards twice, and receiving touchdowns once.
