Alleged victim in Antonio Brown attempted murder case forgives him, no longer wants to take part in prosecution

The man who is the alleged victim in former NFL star Antonio Brown's second-degree attempted murder case apparently no longer wants to participate in his prosecution.

Brown was arrested last year and extradited back to the United States from Dubai after an incident outside of an amateur boxing match in Miami in May 2025. The alleged victim in the case, Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, "has made the deeply personal decision to forgive" Brown, he said through his attorney on Wednesday, via ESPN .

As a result, Nantambu "does not wish to participate" in Brown's prosecution. Brown's attorney is now hopeful that Florida drops the case.

"Forgiveness does not diminish the seriousness of what occurred," Nantambu's attorney said. "It means refusing to allow anger or resentment to dictate how he moves forward."

Brown was detained by Miami police briefly after gunshots were fired outside several hours after a boxing event on May 17. Video on social media showed Brown involved in a fistfight with several people outside of the event. A man who police later identified as Brown was seen pursuing someone with what looked like a pistol in his hand. Shots were heard off camera.

Brown was not initially arrested, and police said they did not find a weapon on the scene when they detained him. But they later issued an arrest warrant for Brown after an investigation.

Nantambu told police on May 21 that one of the bullets fired grazed his neck. He was identified as the man with whom Brown had gotten into a fistfight before the shooting. The warrant stated that Brown chased Nantambu after grabbing the gun off of a security officer and fired two shots at him.

After the incident, Brown flew to Dubai and spent nearly six months in the country before he was extradited back to the United States. He was released on bond and placed on house arrest with a GPS ankle monitor.

Brown later said that he was "jumped" and that he was forced to act in self-defense the night of the shooting. He filed a motion to dismiss the case based on Florida's "stand our ground" law in December.

Brown's attorney, Mark Eiglarsh, said Wednesday that he doesn't expect the state to immediately drop the charges against his client, but he's hopeful that will happen in the near future. If convicted, Brown could face up to 30 years in prison.

"Antonio would like to make his own position equally clear: He forgives Mr. Nantambu," Eiglarsh said. "Antonio wishes Mr. Nantambu and his family peace and holds no hatred or resentment toward him. "From the very beginning, Mr. Brown has maintained his innocence. He did not commit attempted second-degree murder, and he maintains that, under the circumstances presented that day, he had a lawful right to defend himself."

"Antonio would like to make his own position equally clear: He forgives Mr. Nantambu," Eiglarsh said. "Antonio wishes Mr. Nantambu and his family peace and holds no hatred or resentment toward him.

"From the very beginning, Mr. Brown has maintained his innocence. He did not commit attempted second-degree murder, and he maintains that, under the circumstances presented that day, he had a lawful right to defend himself."

Brown spent 12 seasons in the NFL, and was undoubtedly one of the best wide receivers in the league at the peak of his career. He has had several legal issues since his playing career ended. Brown was accused of rape by a former trainer in 2019, though he did not face criminal charges there and that lawsuit was settled out of court. Brown was also ordered in 2022 to pay more than $1 million in damages to a delivery driver that he allegedly assaulted outside of his Florida home. Brown previously pleaded no contest to multiple criminal charges after that incident, and was sentenced to two years probation.