FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown will not face charges in an apparent domestic disturbance at his Tampa home in late November, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Investigators have completed their investigation of the available evidence and have decided to drop the misdemeanor assault charges, the Hillsborough County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement. An arrest warrant against him was also withdrawn.
Police requested the involvement of the state’s attorney’s office to determine if there was probable cause for arresting Brown, 34, after a verbal altercation on November 28. A police report indicated that Brown threw a shoe at a woman, tried to evict her from her home and locked her out.
“Based on the facts and circumstances known to both agencies through extensive on-site interviews of the alleged victim by law enforcement officers, it was determined that there was probable cause to issue a warrant for his arrest. first-degree petty assault,” the state attorney said in a statement.
Investigators requested a statement from the woman, in person and under oath, before making a final decision, which could lead to upgrading the charge to a felony. But during the December 16 interview, the prosecution retracted her previous accusation “regarding Mr. Brown’s attempt to beat her or cause bodily harm,” she said in the statement.
Investigators reviewed new information provided by the accuser, as well as video taken at the scene, the Child Protective Services inquiry and the denial of the restraining order. The state attorney’s office then “determined that we could not prove beyond any doubt that there was an attack,” she added.
Brown’s contract with the Buccaneers was terminated a few days after he threw his kit into the stands and left the game on Jan. 2. Brown claimed he was pressured to play injured, but then-coach Bruce Arians claimed Brown was upset about not getting the ball enough
Brown has a long history of disruptive behavior on and off the court, including sexual assault allegations brought by two women, one of whom claimed Brown raped her.
He was suspended eight games in 2020 for multiple violations of the NFL’s personal conduct policy after pleading no argument to robbery and criminal mischief related to a fight with a truck driver outside his South Florida home that year.