Former NFL star Antonio Brown has been arrested on an attempted murder charge stemming from a shooting after a celebrity boxing event in Miami, police confirmed Thursday.
Brown, 37, was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals in Dubai, said Miami police spokesman Mike Vega. He was flown to Essex County, New Jersey, where he is being held pending extradition to Miami.
It remains unclear why Brown was taken to New Jersey first or how long he had been in Dubai, although he has posted several times on social media over the past few months from there.
According to an arrest warrant detailing the May 16 shooting, Brown is accused of grabbing a handgun from a security staffer after the boxing match and firing two shots at a man he had gotten into a fistfight with earlier. The victim, Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, informed investigators that one of the bullets grazed his neck.
A second-degree attempted murder charge carries a maximum 15-year prison sentence and a $10,000 fine in the event of a conviction.
Brown, who spent 12 years in the NFL, was an All-Pro wide receiver who last played in 2021 for Tampa Bay but spent most of his career with Pittsburgh. Throughout his career, Brown recorded 928 receptions for over 12,000 yards and 83 touchdowns.
In recent years, Brown has faced numerous legal problems, including accusations of battery against a moving truck driver and several domestic violence charges. His football career effectively ended when he exited the field during a 2021 game against the New York Jets, which led to his release by the Buccaneers.
