Antonio Brown is considering a law that could impact his case.
The former NFL star is calling for his attempted murder charge to be thrown out, stating that Florida's “Stand Your Ground” law protects him from prosecution following the May incident that led to his charge. According to his attorney Mark Eiglarsh, he filed a motion on Saturday, Dec. 6, according to legal documents obtained by ESPN.
Brown was extradited by U.S. marshals in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where he traveled after the May boxing event. He was arrested and charged with second-degree attempted murder, but was released on a $25,000 bail after he pleaded not guilty.
“Brown's use of force on May 16, 2025, was fully justified,” the motion read per ESPN. “Brown reasonably believed that the alleged victim intended to cause him serious harm.”
According to the motion, Brown was trying to get in his vehicle when he was allegedly attacked by Nantambu. However, police say that Brown punched Nantambu and then the attack continued along with two others.
The prosecutor claimed that Brown “chases him down and shoots at him at point-blank range,” after Nantambu walked away, according to surveillance footage by police.
The motion recognizes the former NFL wide receiver as the shooter and that he reacted to Qarnain Kwame Nantambu's “aggressive movement” towards him.
“In that moment, Brown again reasonably feared death or great bodily harm,” the motion stated. Brown then fired two “warning shots, intentionally aiming away from Nantambu to ensure he would not be struck,” the motion added. The former NFL star said that Nantambu got possession of the weapon and left the scene.
The “Stand Your Ground” law was notably used in the 2012 shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman. Zimmerman had second-degree murder charges resuled in the death of Martin but argued self-defense. He was acquitted in 2013.
Brown, 37, spent nearly six months in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where he traveled after the incident, before being extradited by U.S. marshals.
Brown faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
