AB eyes case dismissal, cites 'Stand Your Ground'

Former NFL star Antonio Brown filed a motion this week to dismiss the second-degree murder charge against him in Miami based on Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law. The motion was filed Monday but shared with ESPN by his lawyer, Mark Eiglarsh, 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 U.S. marshals. Shortly after he arrived in Miami last month, he pleaded not guilty and was arraigned.

"Brown's use of force on May 16, 2025, was fully justified," the motion read. "Brown reasonably believed that the alleged victim intended to cause him serious harm."

Richard L. Cooper, attorney for Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, labeled the defense motion "a farcical reimagining" of what happened.

The motion cited Florida's 2005 law that removed "the duty to retreat" before using "deadly force in certain circumstances" and provides immunity from prosecution. Brown faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.

Florida's most famous case related to Stand Your Ground originated with the 2012 shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. George Zimmerman, the shooter, asserted self-defense in his trial on second-degree murder charges, which resulted in his acquittal in 2013. Zimmerman didn't directly invoke the law, but the judge's instructions to the jury emphasized the Florida law's fight-versus-retreat principles.

Brown's motion described a history of violence from Nantambu toward him, including an alleged jewelry theft incident in Dubai. Nantambu spent 30 days in jail in Dubai related to that incident, the motion says.

In the May incident, the motion said, Brown was trying to get to his car for safety after Nantambu had attacked him. But police said Brown punched the victim in the face and then, along with two others, continued the attack.

Nantambu walked away, according to a police description of the security footage. Brown then "chases him down and shoots at him at point blank range," according to a prosecutor. Police added that video from social media showed Brown with a gun in his hand near Nantambu. Two gunshots followed. Nantambu ducked after the first shot was heard, police said.

Monday's motion, which acknowledged Brown as the shooter, said he "reasonably feared" Nantambu was armed. It also said that Nantambu made an "aggressive movement" toward Brown.

"In that moment, Brown again reasonably feared death or great bodily harm," the motion read. Brown then fired two "warning shots, intentionally aiming away from Nantambu to ensure he would not be struck," the motion asserted. Brown also claimed that Nantambu took the weapon after a struggle and left with it.

At a November hearing, Cooper asserted it was Brown's intention to kill Nantambu. "By the grace of God, he was not killed," Cooper said. Cooper said he believed Brown went to Dubai thinking he couldn't be extradited and was flaunting his presence there on social media.

After he returned to Miami, Brown was released on $25,000 bail and placed on 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 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but spent most of his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers.