-
anthony olivieri
Former NFL star Antonio Brown filed a motion this week to dismiss the second-degree attempted murder charge against him in Miami based on Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law. The motion was filed on Monday but his attorney Mark Eiglersh shared it with ESPN on Saturday.
The incident involved gunfire outside an amateur boxing match. Brown, 37, spent nearly six months in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where he traveled after the incident, before being extradited by US Marshals. Shortly after arriving in Miami last month, he pleaded innocent and was arraigned.
“Brown’s use of force on May 16, 2025, was entirely justified,” the resolution said. “Brown reasonably believed that the alleged victim intended to cause him serious harm.”
Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu’s lawyer Richard L. Cooper called the defense proposal “a ridiculous reimagining” of what happened.
The motion cited a 2005 Florida law that removed the “duty to retreat” before using deadly force “in certain circumstances” and provided immunity from prosecution. If convicted, Brown faces up to 30 years in prison.
Florida’s most famous case related to Stand Your Ground arose from the 2012 shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. George Zimmerman, the shooter, claimed self-defense at his trial on charges of second-degree murder, resulting in his acquittal in 2013. Zimmerman did not directly invoke the law, but the judge’s instructions to the jury emphasized the fight-versus-retreat principles of Florida law.
Brown’s motion describes Nantambu’s history of violence toward her, including an alleged jewelry theft in Dubai. The motion states that Nantambu spent 30 days in jail in Dubai in connection with that incident.
In the May incident, the motion said, Brown was trying to run to his car for safety when Nantambu attacked him. But police said Brown punched Nantambu in the face and then joined with two other men to continue the attack.
According to police descriptions of security footage, Nantambu walked away. According to a prosecutor, Brown “chased him and shot at him at close range.” Police said social media videos showed Brown standing near Nantambu with a gun in his hand. After this two shots were fired. Police said Nantambu became silent after hearing the first shot.
Monday’s motion, which acknowledged Brown as the shooter, said he had “reasonable apprehension” that Nantambu was armed. It also said Nantambu made “aggressive movements” towards Brown.
“At that moment, Brown was again in fear of death or great bodily harm,” the motion said. Brown then fired two “warning shots, deliberately aiming at Nantambu to ensure he would not be attacked,” the motion claims. Brown also said Nantambu took the weapon after a struggle and drove away.
At the November hearing, Cooper said that Brown intended to kill Nantambu. Cooper said, “By the grace of God, he was not killed.” Cooper said he believed Brown had gone to Dubai thinking he could not be extradited and was flaunting his presence there on social media.
After returning to Miami, Brown was released on $25,000 bail and placed under house arrest with a GPS ankle monitor.
Brown, who spent 12 years in the NFL, was an All-Pro wide receiver who last played in 2021 tampa bay buccaneers But spent most of his career with pittsburgh steelers,
