Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown has been at the forefront of yet another serious legal situation in recent weeks.
On June 13, the Associated Press reported that “Antonio Brown is facing an attempted murder charge stemming from a shooting that took place during an altercation outside an amateur boxing event in Miami, according to an arrest warrant.”
“Brown, 36, is accused of grabbing a handgun from a security staffer and firing two shots at a man he had gotten into a fistfight with earlier,” AP News reporter Curt Anderson noted. “The victim, Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, told investigators one of the bullets grazed his neck.”
Brown was “briefly detained by police” on May 17, the date of the incident, but was released (per the Associated Press and ESPN).
Since June 13, however, this legal drama has taken an unexpected turn.
“Days after authorities in Miami issued an arrest warrant for Antonio Brown, the former NFL star has been traveling in the Middle East — but police don’t consider him on the run,” the Miami Herald reported in a June 17 update.
“In an Instagram post this weekend, Brown said he was in Iran, although the Herald’s review of his latest posts show he has been in Dubai, United Arab Emirates,” the Miami Herald report continued. “In one photo, Brown is posing in front of a Buka Boxing banner; in a now-deleted video, he’s seen in what appears to be a red McLaren Artura at Masterkey Rent A Car. Both locations trace back to Dubai.”
The Miami Herald added that “Miami Police Chief Manny Morales on Monday afternoon told the Miami Herald that detectives believe Brown is still in Dubai, have been in contact with his attorney and expect him to be taken into custody once he returns to South Florida.”
Antonio Brown Sounds Off on Media Narratives After News of Arrest Warrant Surfaces
Brown spoke out on these charges — as well as the original altercation — multiple times on the social media app, X.
Most recently on June 15, he said: “How TF [the expletive] You go from being victimized unto a attempt to murder, you see they control the media. Took a month to change the narrative. A year or 2 them dragging the narrative. Attempt to murder, you see. They only want 3 types of [expletive] In America in jail dead or dead broke.”
Earlier that day, Brown also shared a quote from Malcolm X, which read: “The media is the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of the masses.”
Finally, after the event in question on May 17, Brown wrote the following message on X: “Regarding the boxing event that happened last night. I was jumped by multiple individuals who tried to steal my jewelry and cause physical harm to me. 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. I will be talking to my legal council and attorneys on pressing charges on the individuals that jumped me. [And] I will keep you all posted step-by-step on the process. Thank you for the support and love.”
Brown also shared a video captioned “#lovefromthemiddleeast” on June 13.
What’s Next for Former Steelers WR Antonio Brown?
There is no reason to believe that Brown will remain overseas at this time, and the Miami Herald reported a direct quote from Chief Morales, who said: “We’re not going to be sending anybody there [to the Middle East].”
So, presumably, authorities will simply await Brown’s return.
Per the Miami Herald report, Brown’s “seven-page warrant seeks to apprehend him, as signed by Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Ariel Rodriguez on June 11, and lists Brown’s bond as $10,000 plus house arrest.”
