Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown was seen leaving court wearing a black mask over his face after a plea-deal hearing in his trial for attempted second-degree murder was postponed until next month.
Brown was in court on Wednesday and was set to change his plea to ‘no contest’ after agreeing to a deal with prosecutors in Miami over an incident in May of 2025. That deal, according to previous comments from his attorney, was aimed to spare him any prison time in exchange for probation.
However, Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez informed Brown and the state of Florida that she was unable to accept any change of plea at the time of the hearing.
Mendez told both parties that she has been in the ‘middle of a capital sentencing hearing’ and therefore was ‘not up to speed enough to move forward with a change of plea proceeding today.’ She then moved the change of plea hearing to October 28.
While Brown was not shown on screen during the court’s Zoom call, he was photographed leaving court wearing a dark hood over his head.
In a statement to the Daily Mail, Brown’s attorney, Mark Eiglarsh said: ‘While we are disappointed that the change of plea did not take place this morning, we remain optimistic that, once the Court has the opportunity to fully consider all of the facts and circumstances surrounding this case, the judge will accept the carefully negotiated resolution.’
Brown left court wearing a black hood over his head after the delay in the trial proceedings
Former NFL star Antonio Brown had a hearing to change his plea moved to next month
The judge in Brown’s case says she was ‘not up to speed enough to move forward with a change of plea proceeding’ when the ex-NFL star arrived in court on September 30
According to a previous press release, the deal was intended to help Brown avoid a prison sentence of up to 30 years. Eiglarsh announced the former football player’s intent to change his plea on September 23: ‘They made him an offer he couldn’t refuse,’ Eiglarsh said.
The 38-year-old NFL outcast was accused of firing gunshots at a long-time enemy outside of a boxing event on May 16, 2025. He later claimed he was acting in self defense when he left the melee only to return with a handgun that was ultimately discharged.
Eiglarsh said that Brown believes the chance to resolve the case after more than 10 months of litigation is in the best interests of himself and his family.
‘Antonio is ready to put this behind him, continue to focus on his children, rebuild his professional opportunities, and move forward with his life,’ Eiglarsh said.
‘He has fought this case for more than ten and a half months. Now, he has an opportunity for something that has become increasingly important to him and his family: closure.’
The announcement comes after Brown’s alleged target, Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, publicly forgave the scandalized wide receiver, saying he did ‘not wish to participate’ in his prosecution.
When contacted by The Daily Mail on September 9, Nantambu denied receiving any compensation to cooperate with Brown’s defense.
Richard Cooper, an attorney for Nantambu, has called the plea deal a fair one. He has said Nantambu forgives Brown and would not cooperate with law enforcement.
Brown’s alleged target, Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, stopped cooperating with authorities
Brown appears to pull out a gun before shots are fired outside a boxing match in May of 2025
The two men have been feuding since 2022 when Nantambu, a jewelry designer, claimed Brown stole a valuable pendant of his in Dubai ahead of a Floyd Mayweather Jr boxing event.
Nantambu further said Brown lied to police in the United Arab Emirates, accusing him of theft, resulting in Nantambu’s brief imprisonment.
Nantambu sued Brown in Florida in 2022 and ultimately won a $968,960 verdict that was later vacated in 2024 before the case was dismissed.
The jeweler has since pursued a partial reduced judgement of $123,600 in federal bankruptcy court as Brown continued to deny the allegations of theft, as seen in those filings.
The 2025 shooting took place outside an Adin Ross boxing event, where the two unexpectedly crossed paths.
Brown allegedly called security to swarm Nantambu before running to grab his gun, the jeweler told The Daily Mail last year.
In a picture purportedly from Dubai in 2022, Zül-Qarnaįn Nantambu is seen standing on a yacht. As he told Daily Mail, it’s Antonio Brown who is pictured wearing red in the background
One video, provided to the Daily Mail by Nantambu, showed him fighting with a group of men before an individual matching Brown’s description abruptly fled. Another viral video of the incident appeared to show Brown returning to the melee with a gun in hand.
Eiglarsh conceded in a previous motion to dismiss that Brown fled the brawl only to return with a concealed firearm. However, Eiglarsh has insisted Brown only fired ‘warning shots’ while ‘intentionally aiming away from Nantambu to ensure he would not be struck.’
‘Brown hoped the warning shots would deter Nantambu’s aggression, allowing Brown to safely reach his vehicle and leave the scene,’ read the motion.
Previously, Nantambu told The Daily Mail a bullet grazed his neck during the incident.
‘He ran to get the gun. He shot at me. I think he grazed my neck. We started fighting for the gun,’ Nantambu told The Daily Mail in 2025. ‘The adrenaline is going crazy. He ran into me. I threw him on the ground. A gun fell. We start scrambling for the gun on the ground.’
Zül-Qarnaįn Nantambu, who goes by ‘@fff_zulqarnain’ on Instagram, shared photos of his injuries with Daily Mail. Nantambu says a bullet grazed his neck and he broke a finger
It was at this point cops arrived, according to Nantambu. Despite the violent uproar, police made no arrests and Brown wrote on X soon after that he was considering potential legal action against ‘the individuals that jumped me.’
Instead, Brown fled to Dubai before ultimately being extradited to the US in November. He has since been released from jail on $25,000 bond as his former Florida home has surfaced on the market.
It’s unclear if Brown is the seller in this case or if he’s already been relieved of the home as part of the liquidation process. A transaction record for the property shows it was put up for sale by Brown in March of 2024 but does not list any buyer. He originally purchased the property in 2021, while he was still with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brown’s attempted-murder case was just the latest dramatic episode of his turbulent life.
A legendary receiver for the Steelers who later won a title with the Bucs, Brown’s career was derailed by a series of on- and off-field incidents involving trainers, teammates, coaches and executives.
The seven-time Pro Bowler last appeared on the field in January 2022, when he was seen arguing with Bucs coaches and ripping off his pads in the middle of a game against the Jets. He then left the field, never to play in another NFL game.
