Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown is accepting a plea deal in his second-degree attempted murder case that will result in probation instead of a prison sentence, his attorney said on Wednesday, Sept. 23.
"They made him an offer he couldn’t refuse," Brown's attorney, Mark Eiglarsh, said in a statement to USA TODAY Sports. The attorney noted that Brown has maintained his innocence in the matter, but the star and his family made the decision to "bring this chapter to a close."
Brown will appear in front of Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez on Wednesday, Sept. 30, at 8:45 a.m. ET in Miami to officially accept the plea.
The former NFL star was initially facing up to 30 years in prison, including a minimum mandatory sentence of 20 years, for the charge
after he was accused of shooting at a man during a celebrity boxing match in Miami on May 16, 2025.
Brown was arrested in Nov. 2025 and extradited from Dubai.
“This was not an easy decision,” Eiglarsh said. “Antonio believes in his innocence. He believes strongly in his Stand Your Ground defense, and he believes he would ultimately prevail at trial. But when prosecutors put an offer on the table that transforms a potential decades-long prison sentence into a significantly reduced charge and probation, there was simply no way he could reasonably turn it down.”
Eiglarsh said that "closure has tremendous value" to Brown, who has eight children that depend on him. However, the attorney made it clear that this closure, "should not be interpreted as a retreat from his position that he acted lawfully."
“He is not accepting this agreement because he suddenly agrees with the State's allegations,” Eiglarsh said. “He is accepting it because the State made him an offer he couldn't refuse. 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."
Here's what to know about the case.
What was Antonio Brown charged with?
Brown was charged with second-degree attempted murder after being accused of shooting at a man during a celebrity boxing match in Miami on May 16, 2025.
He was detained temporarily after gunshots were fired during an altercation outside of an event hosted by streamer Adin Ross.
Brown addressed the incident in a May 17, 2025 post on X.
"I was jumped by multiple individuals who tried to steal my jewelry and cause physical harm to me," Brown wrote in part. "Contrary to some video circulating, Police temporarily detained me until they received my side of the story and then released me. I WENT HOME THAT NIGHT AND WAS NOT ARRESTED [sic]."
He pled not guilty to the charge in Nov. 2025.
In Dec. 2025, Brown filed a motion to dismiss the charge and claimed the shooting was legal under a 2005 Florida state statute referred to as the "Stand Your Ground" law.
Antonio Brown plea deal
Brown will face probation and not prison time, according to the terms of his plea deal.
The former NFL star will officially accept the deal in court on Sept. 30 in Miami when he appears in front of Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez.
Will Antonio Brown go to prison?
Brown will not face prison time, per the terms of his plea deal, according to his lawyer.
He was initially facing a minimum mandatory prison sentence of 20 years and a max of 30 years if convicted of the second-degree attempted murder charge.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Antonio Brown to accept plea deal, avoid prison in attempted murder case
