Former NFL receiver Antonio Brown will not be going to prison for attempted murder.
Via David Fischer of the Associated Press, Brown plans to accept a plea deal. He’ll plead guilty to a lesser charge and serve no time.
Per the report, attorney Mark Eiglarsh said Brown plans to plead no contest to aggravated assault on September 30. He will be sentenced to probation and the adjudication will be withheld. That prevents Brown from being regarded as a convicted felon.
It means that Brown will be pleading no contest to a felony.
He originally faced up to 30 years in prison for an incident that occurred at a celebrity boxing match in May 2025. Brown allegedly grabbed a handgun from a security officer and fired two shots at a man who allegedly had attacked Brown.
Brown had left the country after the incident. He was eventually apprehended and returned to the U.S. to face the charges.
“This was not an easy decision,” Eiglarsh said in a statement issued Wednesday. “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.”
Brown is eligible for enshrinement in the Hall of Fame in 2027. Off-field issues aren’t supposed to be considered. It remains to be seen how the newly reconfigured Hall of Fame voting panel will handle his candidacy.
A 12-year veteran, Brown earned first-team All-Pro status in four straight seasons. He qualified for the Pro Bowl seven times.
Brown finished his career with 928 catches for 12,291 yards and 83 touchdowns. That puts him at 28th, 28th, and (with Travis Kelce’s next touchdown catch) 28th on the all-time list.
Which could make it hard to get him in, even without considering the off-field issues. Especially in light of the various disruptions he created for the Steelers, Raiders, Patriots, and Buccaneers.
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