MIAMI — The alleged victim in Antonio Brown‘s attempted second-degree murder case said Wednesday that he forgives the former NFL receiver and does not wish to take part in his prosecution, according to a statement released through his attorney.
Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu framed the decision as personal and said it carries no judgment about the underlying facts, his lawyer, Richard L. Cooper, said in the statement.
“For Mr. Nantambu, forgiveness does not diminish the seriousness of what occurred,” Cooper said. “It means refusing to allow anger or resentment to dictate how he moves forward.”
Cooper said Nantambu is a devout Muslim and that his faith contributed to the decision, and described his client’s desire to move forward in peace.
Brown’s attorney, Mark Eiglarsh, responded the same day with a statement of his own, extending forgiveness in the other direction.
“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.”
What Antonio Brown’s Attorney Mark Eiglarsh Said About The Charge
Eiglarsh has argued since Brown was arraigned that the shooting was lawful self-defense, and he tied Wednesday’s statement back to that position rather than treating it as a settlement of any kind.
“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,” Eiglarsh explained.
Brown filed a motion to dismiss in December 2025 under Florida’s stand your ground law. No hearing on it has been held.
“We remain hopeful that the court will grant that motion and bring this prosecution to an end,” Eiglarsh said.
Eiglarsh told ESPN he does not expect the state to drop the charge immediately, and that efforts to schedule a stand your ground hearing have been slowed by delays in arranging depositions from key witnesses. Anthony Olivieri reported the statements for ESPN.
Why The Antonio Brown Case Does Not End With Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu’s Statement
The charge belongs to the state of Florida, not to Nantambu. His decision does not dismiss anything on its own, and the case stays pending unless prosecutors drop it or a judge grants the defense motion. Brown faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted, with a mandatory minimum of 20 years under Florida law.
The case stems from gunfire outside an amateur boxing event in Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood in May 2025. Nantambu told investigators that a bullet grazed his neck. Police said Brown punched Nantambu in the face and that two others joined the attack, and that Nantambu then walked away. A prosecutor said Brown chased him down and fired at point-blank range. Police said a social media video showed Brown holding a gun near Nantambu, followed by two shots, and that Nantambu ducked after the first.
Brown’s stand-your-ground motion acknowledged him as the shooter. The filing said he reasonably feared Nantambu was armed, that Nantambu made an aggressive movement toward him, and that he fired two warning shots aimed away from Nantambu so that he would not be struck. The motion also said Nantambu took the weapon after a struggle and left with it. An arrest warrant said Brown took a handgun from a security staffer; Eiglarsh has said that account is wrong and that Brown used his own firearm.
Brown spent nearly six months in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, after the incident before U.S. marshals extradited him. He pleaded not guilty in November, posted $25,000 bail, and was placed on house arrest with a GPS ankle monitor.
Brown, 38, played 12 NFL seasons and finished with 928 receptions for 12,291 yards and 83 touchdowns. He spent nine years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, made seven Pro Bowls, was a four-time first-team Associated Press All-Pro, and won Super Bowl LV with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He last played in 2021.
