Antonio Brown Pleads Guilty to Reduced Charge in Miami Shooting, Gets Three Years’ Probation

A plea deal ends an attempted-murder case

November 6, 2026 · 10:00 p.m. Central / 11:00 p.m. Eastern

Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown pleaded guilty Friday to a reduced charge of aggravated assault with a firearm in connection with a May 2025 shooting outside a celebrity boxing event in Miami, avoiding prison time under a deal accepted by a state judge.

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez sentenced Brown, 38, to three years of probation and withheld adjudication, meaning he will not carry a formal felony conviction if he completes the sentence, according to The Associated Press and the Miami Herald.

Brown had initially been charged with attempted second-degree murder, which carried a potential sentence of up to 30 years in prison and a 20-year mandatory minimum if convicted at trial.

Probation conditions and the 2025 altercation

Under the probation terms ordered Friday, Brown is barred from possessing firearms and must attend weekly counseling sessions, AP and NBC News reported. He may petition for early termination of probation halfway through the three-year term if he complies with all court requirements.

The case stemmed from a May 2025 confrontation outside a Miami boxing event in which prosecutors alleged Brown took a handgun from a security guard and fired toward a man after a fight over jewelry. The man suffered a graze wound and later indicated he did not want to pursue prosecution, according to defense filings cited by the Tampa Bay Times.

Brown’s attorney maintained that the former Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers star had a viable self-defense claim under Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law, but said the state’s probation offer eliminated the risk of a decades-long prison term.

Where the court ruled

The star marks the general area of Miami, Florida, where the circuit court accepted the plea agreement.

Case timeline

Dates are Eastern time.

1. May 2025 Shots are fired during an altercation outside a celebrity boxing event in Miami; prosecutors later charge Brown with attempted second-degree murder.
2. November 6, 2026 Brown pleads guilty to a reduced count of aggravated assault with a firearm; Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez imposes three years of probation with adjudication withheld.

Sources and visual credits

Associated Press · Miami Herald · NBC News · Tampa Bay Times.

Hero and thumbnail: conceptual illustration, not a photograph of the court hearing or the 2025 incident. Map data: OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.