Antonio Brown is seeking to have his attempted murder charge thrown out, arguing that Florida’s Stand Your Ground law protects him from prosecution stemming from a 2025 shooting outside a Miami-area boxing event.
According to ESPN, the former NFL wide receiver filed a motion earlier this week asking the court to dismiss the charge outright, according to documents shared by his attorney, Mark Eiglarsh.
Florida’s Stand Your Ground statute, enacted in 2005, eliminates the requirement that a person retreat before using force in self-defense. Under the law, an individual may use force—including deadly force—if they reasonably believe it is necessary to prevent imminent death, great bodily harm, or the commission of a forcible felony, provided they are lawfully present and not engaged in criminal activity.
In some instances, the law allows for immunity from prosecution, which can stop a case before it ever reaches trial.
Brown’s legal team argues those protections apply to the events of May 16, 2025. In the motion, Brown claims he reasonably feared for his life during an altercation with Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu outside an amateur boxing match. The filing states that Brown acted in self-defense and that his use of force was justified under Florida law.
“Brown’s use of force on May 16, 2025, was fully justified,” the motion reads.
It further claims Brown believed Nantambu intended to cause him serious harm. According to the defense, Brown attempted to disengage and reach his vehicle for safety before the situation escalated.
The motion describes the gunfire as two “warning shots,” asserting Brown intentionally fired away from Nantambu to avoid hitting him.
The defense also points to an alleged ongoing dispute between the two men, including a previous incident in Dubai involving an alleged jewelry theft. Brown’s motion claims Nantambu was jailed for 30 days in Dubai over that matter, offering it as context for Brown’s stated fear during the Miami confrontation.
Prosecutors, however, present a sharply different version of events. According to law enforcement, video footage shows Brown punching Nantambu and continuing the fight alongside two others.
Police say Nantambu then walked away before Brown chased him and fired at him from close range. A prosecutor has asserted that a social media video shows Brown holding a firearm near Nantambu just before two shots were fired, forcing Nantambu to duck.
Nantambu’s attorney, Richard L. Cooper, has labeled the Stand Your Ground motion “a farcical reimagining” of the incident.
Cooper has also stated publicly that Brown intended to kill Nantambu, adding, “By the grace of God, he was not killed.”
One additional legal hurdle for Brown could complicate his Stand Your Ground claim: his status as a convicted felon. Brown pleaded no contest in 2020 to a felony burglary with battery charge.
Florida’s Stand Your Ground law does not apply if a person is engaged in criminal activity at the time of the incident, and courts have found that unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon can disqualify a defendant from invoking the statute’s protections.
If prosecutors establish that Brown was illegally in possession of the gun, that factor could undermine his bid for immunity.
After the shooting, Brown left the United States and spent nearly six months in Dubai before being detained and extradited to Miami by U.S. marshals. He pleaded not guilty last month and was released on $25,000 bail. Brown remains on house arrest with a GPS ankle monitor while his case proceeds.