Former NFL star Antonio Brown walked out of the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on Thursday morning, thanking God moments after securing release on a $25,000 bond in his attempted murder case.
The 36-year-old had been held since U.S. marshals extradited him from Dubai to face a second-degree attempted murder charge stemming from a May shooting outside a Miami boxing event.
Brown’s attorney, Mark Eiglarsh, said his client is relieved to be home.
“We are so grateful that he’s out,” he said outside the jail, adding that Brown is eager to reunite with his family.
Lynne Sladky / AP
Eiglarsh also reiterated to CBS News Miami that Brown acted in self-defense: “My client has a concealed weapons permit and he used that gun that was on his person lawfully and he used that gun to protect himself.”
What Antonio Brown’s attorney says about the shooting and self-defense claim
Investigators said Brown took a gun from a security guard and fired two gunshots, grazing the victim’s neck. Brown is seen holding a gun in video of the incident, followed by the sound of shots, police said. But in court, Eiglarsh challenged that narrative, showing a photo of the injury and arguing it was inconsistent with a bullet graze.
He also maintained Brown did not intend to harm anyone.
“I entered a plea of not guilty because it was not proven,” Eiglarsh said. “They are not going to be able to prove what they alleged to be an attempted 2nd degree murder, which I strongly believe is a gross overcharge…He didn’t attempt to kill anyone.”
Eiglarsh said Brown has deep ties to his family and the local community, calling him “a loving, supporting father of 7 with one on the way in June of 2026,” and noted that Brown plans to continue his business ventures and charity work.
Victim’s attorney disputes self-defense and describes confrontation
The victim’s attorney, Richard Cooper, strongly disputes any claim of self-defense. He told CBS News Miami in an exclusive interview on Wednesday that Brown escalated the confrontation.
“The self-defense argument would have applied if the shooting would have happened during that scuffle, maybe,” Cooper said. “But what is undisputed here is that Mr. Brown then leaves the scuffle when it is over and he comes back with a gun and he starts shooting at my client.”
Cooper added that his client is “lucky to be alive.”
A judge ordered Brown to wear a GPS monitor, surrender his passport and stay away from the victim while the case proceeds. During the bond hearing, Eiglarsh pushed back on claims that Brown fled to Dubai, saying his client traveled there for long-standing business and had hired him to arrange a voluntary surrender. “This case is grossly overcharged,” he told the court.
If convicted, Brown faces up to 15 years in prison.
