Florida Prosecutor Drops Domestic Battery Charges Against Ex-NFL Wide Receiver Antonio Brown
Prosecutors in Florida dropped domestic battery charges against former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown stemming from an incident at his Tampa home in late November.
In a statement, the Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office said it declined to charge Brown after “a complete review of all available evidence.”
According to the Tampa Police Department, Brown and a woman had a verbal altercation on Nov. 28 at about 1:30 p.m., ESPN reported. The police said Brown threw a shoe at her and attempted to physically remove from the home.
The police report also said Brown locked himself inside the house when the police tried to interview him, and it took officers at least an hour to get him out, according to CBS Sports.
To make a final charging decision, which could have included an upgrade to a felony, the woman came in-person to the prosecutor’s office on Dec. 16 for an interview. According to the prosecutor, she was sworn-in and “recanted her previous allegations regarding Mr. Brown’s intent to strike her or cause her bodily harm.”
The state attorney’s office "determined we could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt a battery took place" after assessing the woman’s sworn testimony, police body camera video from the scene, the Child Protective Services investigation, and the denial of a law enforcement’s Temporary Risk Protection Order.
Brown’s NFL career began in 2010 with the Pittsburgh Steelers and ended with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in January when the team released him after he threw his shirt and gloves into the stands and walked off the field during a game against the New York Jets. In 2019, the New England Patriots released Brown after two women accused him of sexual misconduct.