An arrest order has been issued for former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown.
The former Steelers and Buccaneers star is wanted for a misdemeanor battery charge, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. The charge is related to an alleged domestic incident Monday afternoon in south Tampa involving the mother of Brown’s children, according to Kevin O’Donnell of WTVT-TV.
Police attempted to enforce the warrant at Brown’s south Tampa home on Thursday, according to a Tampa Police Department spokesperson. Officers were at the home for more than an hour, addressing Brown with a megaphone and yelling, “We’re not going anywhere,” at one point, per WFTS-TV in Tampa.
Brown, 34, and a woman were involved in a verbal altercation that turned physical, according to Tampa police. Brown threw a shoe at the woman and tried to evict her from the home, police said in a statement obtained by Sports Illustrated.
Tampa police consequently sought a risk protection order Tuesday against Brown, but that request was rejected by Florida circuit court judge Denise A. Pomponio, according to a document obtained by the website Steelers Now. Police alleged in the protection order request that Brown has access to two guns, including a handgun he carries, according to WFTS. Risk protection orders are filed by police to the court system when law enforcement officials believe a person is a danger to themselves or others.
Brown pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery in June 2020 in Broward County, Fla., and received two years’ probation as a result. He also was required to undergo a psychological evaluation and take an anger management course.
Brown was released by the Patriots in 2019 after just one game with the team in light of allegations of sexual misconduct, harassment and intimidation reported by Sports Illustrated. (Brown has denied those allegations.) He later served an eight-game suspension as a free agent in ’20.
Brown played for the Steelers from 2010 to ’18. He was traded to the Raiders in ’19 but never played for them, as he was released following a series of incidents. He signed with the Buccaneers after serving his ’20 suspension, winning a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay in February ’21. The following season, he infamously left the team in the middle of the regular-season finale and was subsequently released.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
