There are not many wide receivers in NFL history, let alone the 21st century, who had a better peak than Antonio Brown.<\/p>\n
As a longtime member of the Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a>, Brown regularly dominated games from 2010 to 2021. Nicknamed “AB” and one of the NFL’s most successful late-round draft picks, Brown was selected to seven Pro Bowls, led the league in receiving twice and won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/a>. At his best, there may not have been a better weapon in the NFL than Brown.<\/p>\n However, the former wide receiver’s career, and the years following his retirement, has been surrounded in constant controversies as well. During his time in the NFL, that included suspensions, benchings, releases from teams and more. In his years since stepping away from football, Brown has dealt with various legal issues, including his 2025 arrest for\u00a0accusations of attempted murder.<\/p>\n Here is a full timeline of Brown’s off-the-field and legal issues, from the beginning of his football career to his retired years.<\/p>\n MORE: Details on Antonio Brown’s arrest\u00a0following accusations of attempted murder<\/a><\/p>\n Expelled by FIU for altercation with security<\/p>\n After coming up at\u00a0Miami Norland High School\u00a0in\u00a0Miami, Florida, Brown was denied from Florida State University over academic concerns, and he played one year at North Carolina Tech Prep. After that one season, Brown received a scholarship from Florida International University.<\/p>\n However, in February 2007, Brown then lost that scholarship after he was involved in an altercation involving security, per ESPN.<\/a>\u00a0He then went on to join Central Michigan University as a walk-on after reaching out to head coach Butch Jones.<\/p>\n MORE:\u00a0Ranking the 19 greatest Steelers players of all time<\/a><\/p>\n Hurdle-turned-kick to facemask, penalty vs. Browns punter<\/p>\n For the most part, Brown stayed away from any trouble early in his NFL career. However, during the 2014 season, he made a play for the Steelers that resulted in a lot of media attention, and a following fine for Brown.<\/p>\n In Pittsburgh’s 2014 season-opener against the Cleveland Browns<\/a>, while Brown was returning a punt, he went up to hurdle Browns punter Spencer Lanning. However, he proceeded to kick Lanning in the facemask during the hurdle, earning a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.<\/p>\n Brown was also fined $8,200 for the kick. He apologized afterward, saying there was “intent to hurt” Lanning, per ESPN.<\/a><\/p>\n “I had my mind made up that he was going over me. I thought he was going low and I tried to leap over him. It was just a bad outcome of a play,” Brown said,\u00a0per ESPN<\/a>. “I had no intent of hurting anybody.”<\/p>\n Flashback to when Antonio Brown kicked Spencer Lanning in the face. pic.twitter.com\/iUDUljwLGC<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Division 6 Bound (@Division6Bound) September 19, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n MORE NFL:\u00a0Complete list of Super Bowl MVP winners through the years<\/p>\n Fines for excessive celebrations<\/p>\n Multiple times in his NFL career, Brown was fined by the league for excessive celebrations.\u00a0<\/p>\n In December 2015, he was fined\u00a0$11,576 by the NFL for leaping onto a goalpost after a touchdown. In September 2016, Brown was fined\u00a0a combined $15,191 for wearing blue cleats, violating the league’s uniform policy, and for a provocative touchdown celebration.<\/p>\n After performing the same touchdown celebration in Week 4 of the 2016 season, Brown\u00a0was fined $24,309 by the NFL, which said the celebrations were “sexually suggestive.”<\/p>\n MORE:\u00a0Best two-way players in NFL history, from Deion Sanders to Chuck Bednarik<\/a><\/p>\n Throwing furniture out of 14th-floor apartment window<\/p>\n Brown faced two lawsuits in October 2018 for an incident in April of the same year, in which he allegedly “yelled at security and threw items from inside a South Florida apartment and off a balcony,” per ESPN.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n In one of the lawsuits, the guardian of a 2-year-old boy was suing\u00a0Brown for “intentional infliction of emotional distress and assault” after items including vases, an ottoman and more were thrown from the 14th floor of Brown’s apartment building and nearly hit the child.\u00a0<\/p>\n In 2019, Brown reportedly reached a settlement with the family of the child in the lawsuit. Details of the settlement were confidential, per TribLive.<\/a><\/p>\n MORE:\u00a0Most NFL Draft picks by a school in one year<\/a><\/p>\n Reckless driving incident in Pittsburgh<\/p>\n In November 2018, then still a member of the Steelers, Brown was cited for driving over 100 mph in Pittsburgh. In 2019, a judge then found him guilty of\u00a0a summary count of reckless driving. Brown paid a fine for the incident, per CBS News.<\/a><\/p>\n MORE:\u00a0How does NFL MVP voting work?<\/a><\/p>\n Live streams Steelers’ locker room after playoff win vs. Chiefs<\/p>\n After the Steelers beat the Chiefs<\/a> in the divisional round of the playoffs in January 2017, Brown live streamed the Steelers’ postgame locker room on Facebook \u2014 which included head coach Mike Tomlin speaking with profane language about their upcoming opponent, the New England Patriots<\/a>. Tomlin was also telling his players to keep a low-profile on social media, as Brown was recording.<\/p>\n Brown, who reportedly was being paid by Facebook to live stream, apologized afterward.<\/p>\n \u201cI absolutely regret the Facebook Live situation,\u201d Brown said, per NBC Sports<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s a total distraction to the organization. A total distraction to my teammates. Obviously disrespect to my coach. I\u2019ve got utmost respect to my coach so I totally regret that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n MORE:\u00a0The 10 most shocking NFL Draft slides of all time<\/a><\/p>\n Benched by Steelers, traded to Raiders<\/p>\n Brown’s tenure with the Steelers came to an end in the 2019 offseason after a dramatic end-of-season in 2018 with Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n Leading up to a Week 17 game against the Cincinnati Bengals<\/a>, Brown had allegedly gotten into an argument with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, then skipped practices. Tomlin then proceeded to bench Brown for that game, despite the team initially listing him with a knee injury<\/p>\n Reports surfaced of Brown’s dissatisfaction in Pittsburgh after the season, and he made that public later on. In March 2019, the Steelers traded him to the Raiders<\/a> for third- and fifth-round picks despite rumors of a Bills<\/a> trade.<\/p>\n MORE:\u00a0Who are the oldest players drafted in NFL history?<\/a><\/p>\n Foot issues with cryotherapy machine<\/p>\n Brown would never play a game for the Raiders, and for multiple reasons.<\/p>\n On Aug. 3, 2019, the wide receiver posted a photo of his heavily-blistered foot on social media, which was later revealed to be frostbite due to Brown not wearing proper footwear during a\u00a0cryotherapy session.<\/p>\n The foot issue caused Brown to miss most of the Raiders’ training camp prior to the 2019 season.<\/p>\n MORE:\u00a0NFL Hall of Fame cases for Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning and more<\/a><\/p>\n Grievances over NFL helmets, threatens retirement<\/p>\n It wasn’t just the foot cryotherapy issue that put Brown in headlines before the 2019 season. On Aug. 9, 2019, Brown\u00a0filed a grievance to continue wearing his old helmet \u2014 which had been discontinued by the league with ongoing changes to helmets.<\/p>\n Over weeks of drama over the helmet Brown would wear, he threatened his retirement, filed\u00a0grievances and found a replacement helmet that also did not meet the NFL’s standards. An arbitrator denied his request to continue wearing his old helmet twice.<\/p>\n “While I disagree with the arbitrator’s decision, I’m working on getting back to full health and looking forward to rejoining my teammates on the field,” Brown said at the time, per CBS Sports<\/a>. “I’m excited about this season appreciate all the concerns about my feet!”<\/p>\n On Sept. 4, 2019, Brown finally announced that he’d wear\u00a0the Xenith Shadow helmet, which met the NFL’s standards.<\/p>\n MORE:\u00a0Age, career timeline for Terry Bradshaw, from Steelers legend to Fox retirement plans<\/a><\/p>\n Altercation with GM, dramatic exit from Raiders\u00a0<\/p>\n With all the ongoing storylines following Brown’s time with the Raiders before the 2019 season, general manager\u00a0Mike Mayock\u00a0issued a statement\u00a0after Brown missed practice over the helmet issue, saying,\u00a0“So from our perspective, it’s time for him to be all in or all out,” per SI.<\/a><\/p>\n The day Brown announced his final helmet change, he was fined\u00a0$54,000 by the Raiders organization for violating team rules, primarily due to unexcused absences and missing team practice sessions.\u00a0<\/p>\n The wide receiver immediately voiced his displeasure at the fines, sharing a photo of the letters he received on social media.<\/p>\n Antonio Brown posts his displeasure with fines from #Raiders<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/0OMhdwFu7K<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) September 4, 2019<\/a><\/p>\n The following day, Brown reportedly got into a verbal confrontation with Mayock because he was unhappy with the fine and had to be held back. According to ESPN<\/a>, Brown “walked over and initiated an exchange with the GM,” and teammates “attempted to separate Brown from the situation in order to calm him down.”<\/p>\n Brown reportedly appeared at a team meeting and apologized for his actions afterward. Head coach Jon Gruden then said Brown would play in the team’s Week 1 game.<\/p>\n That was not the case.\u00a0The GM altercation began the Raiders’ process of looking into how to release Brown and get out of paying him the $30 million guaranteed they owed him. According to NFL.com,<\/a> Brown was fined for the incident with the GM, and the guarantees in his contract were voided.<\/p>\n That led to his release from the Raiders, which Brown had pleaded for on social media. Just before Brown’s salary would have become guaranteed before the season, he was sent to free agency, ultimately signing with the New England Patriots quickly.<\/p>\n MORE:\u00a0Most Super Bowl wins in history by player<\/a><\/p>\n Former trainer, Britney Taylor, sues Brown for sexual assault<\/p>\n Just around the time of his release from the Raiders in 2019, a former trainer of Brown’s, Britney Taylor, filed a lawsuit alleging he sexually assaulted her on three occasions in 2017 and 2018, including claims that he exposed himself to her and raped her. The NFL began an investigation at the time.<\/p>\n At the time, Brown’s lawyer, Darren Heitner,\u00a0said in a statement<\/a>\u00a0that his client and Taylor were involved in a “consensual personal relationship. Any sexual interaction with Mr. Brown was entirely consensual.”<\/p>\n On Sept. 18, 2019, the Allegheny County district attorney’s office announced Brown would not be prosecuted because Taylor’s accusations were outside of the statute of limitations. A civil suit continued. Brown also\u00a0countersued Taylor in 2019, per ESPN<\/a>,\u00a0for defamation and interference with his NFL contracts and endorsements.<\/p>\n In April 2021, Taylor and Brown resolved the civil dispute, with terms of the settlement undisclosed,\u00a0per ESPN<\/a>.<\/p>\n MORE:\u00a0George Pickens timeline of trouble, from 2019 Georgia fight to Hail Mary scuffle\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Released by Patriots following further sexual misconduct allegations<\/p>\n On Sept. 16, 2019, when Brown was just over a week removed from leaving the Raiders for the Patriots, a second woman accused him of sexual misconduct. Additionally, a Pittsburgh-based doctor sued Brown for unpaid fees.<\/p>\n The Patriots released Brown on Sept. 20, 2019, after the receiver played in just one game for the franchise. According to ESPN,<\/a> Brown had sent the second woman who accused him of sexual misconduct texts that were called “intimidating” by her lawyers.<\/p>\n Brown entered free agency once again, with his NFL investigation still ongoing as well.<\/p>\n MORE:\u00a0What is the\u00a0NFL virtual measurement system?<\/a><\/p>\n Charged with felony burglary of a vehicle, misdemeanor battery, misdemeanor\u00a0criminal mischief\u00a0<\/p>\n In January 2020, then a free agent, an arrest warrant was issued for Brown on a felony charge of burglary and battery\u00a0in Florida\u00a0after a moving truck driver claimed he was assaulted by Brown and his trainer.<\/p>\n Brown turned himself in to police, and he was charged\u00a0with felony burglary of a vehicle, misdemeanor battery, and misdemeanor\u00a0criminal mischief\u00a0in March 2020. In June, he pleaded no contest to the\u00a0felony battery and burglary charges and was given two years of probation,\u00a0100 hours of\u00a0community service, a 13-week anger management counseling program, and a psychological evaluation.<\/p>\n MORE:\u00a0What to know about the\u00a0NFL taunting penalty<\/a><\/p>\n Suspended eight games by NFL for violating personal conduct policy<\/p>\n Brown had posted on social media multiple times in 2019 that he planned to retire, but then continued to express interest in playing. In July 2020, then still a free agent, the NFL announced an eight-game suspension for Brown\u00a0multiple violations of the league’s personal-conduct policy.<\/p>\n Brown’s suspension stemmed from both his no contest plea to burglary and battery charges from the incident in Florida, and the accusations that he sent intimidating texts to the woman who accused him of making past unwanted advances toward her.<\/p>\n Brown’s agent, Ed Wasielewski, said<\/a>\u00a0at the time Brown was “excited to resume his outstanding football career and is looking forward to playing in the 2020 season.”<\/p>\n After serving his suspension into the 2020 season, Brown would go on to sign with the Buccaneers in October 2020, reinstated by November.<\/p>\n MORE:\u00a0What is a catch in the NFL?<\/a><\/p>\n Reports indicate Brown threw bicycle at security guard<\/p>\n During the 2020 season with the Buccaneers, following a Week 10 win, reports indicated that Brown had destroyed a security camera and threw a bicycle at a security guard in the community he was living in, per ESPN.\u00a0<\/p>\n The president of the homeowners association did not press charges.<\/p>\n “We are aware of the reported incident involving Antonio Brown prior to his signing” a Buccaneers statement said at the time.<\/a> “When Antonio joined us, we were clear about what we expected and required of him. Thus far, he has met all the expectations we have in place.”<\/p>\n MORE:\u00a0Explaining the\u00a0NFL pass interference rules<\/a><\/p>\n Suspended three games by NFL for COVID-19 protocol violations<\/p>\n During the 2021 NFL season, which still included various COVID-19 precautions during the ongoing pandemic, the NFL launched an investigation into Brown\u2019s vaccination status after his personal chef accused him of supplying the league with a fake vaccination card.\u00a0<\/p>\n The league found that the allegations against him, and his teammate Mike Edwards, were true, suspending him three games for misrepresenting his vaccination status.<\/p>\n “The health and safety of players and personnel is our top priority,” a statement from the NFL and NFLPA\u00a0said at the time<\/a>. “The protocols were jointly developed working with our respective experts to ensure that we are practicing and playing football as safely as possible during the ongoing pandemic. The NFL-NFLPA jointly reinforce their commitment and further emphasize the importance of strict adherence to the protocols to protect the well-being of everyone associated with the NFL.”<\/p>\n MORE: How does the NFL’s PUP list work?<\/a><\/p>\n Strips off uniform, runs off field during final NFL game<\/p>\n In Week 17 of the 2021 NFL season, still a member of the Buccaneers, Brown played his final NFL game, exiting in dramatic fashion.<\/p>\n He was seen by cameras stripping off his jersey, pads, undershirt and gloves, throwing his uniform into the stands as he ran back toward the locker room.<\/p>\n Another angle of AB running off of the field shirtless during a Bucs offensive drive. pic.twitter.com\/YWAUvTxHq1<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 2, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n Buccaneers head coach\u00a0Bruce Arians\u00a0said postgame that Brown “is no longer a Buc.” Arians later said that he tried to get Brown to go into the game, and the receiver refused, so he told Brown to leave. Brown ran across the field and flashed a peace sign to Jets<\/a> fans after jumping up and down in the end zone.<\/p>\n Tom Brady, the Bucs’ quarterback, also addressed the incident, saying,\u00a0“We all love him, we care about him deeply, we wanna see him be at his best; unfortunately, it won’t be with our team.”<\/p>\n Brown released a statement afterward stating\u00a0Arians and the Buccaneers had engaged in a cover up of his injuries, and he would be undergoing surgery. He was released by the team in January 2022, and he never returned to the NFL.<\/p>\n MORE: Who wears Guardian Caps in the NFL?<\/a><\/p>\n Allegations of exposing himself at hotel in Dubai<\/p>\n In October 2022, TMZ reported<\/a> that Brown exposed himself to a woman at the Armani Hotel in Dubai in an alleged incident from May 2022.<\/p>\n MORE:\u00a0Explaining the NFL’s updated kickoff rules<\/a><\/p>\n National Arena League terminates Brown’s ‘Albany Empire’ indoor football team<\/p>\n Brown joined the ownership group in May 2023 for the Albany Empire, an indoor football league in the National Arena League. However, by June 2023, the team was no-longer, as its membership was terminated by the NAL\u00a0after Brown refused to pay money he owed the league.<\/p>\n “After exhausting all avenues, the NAL board of owners have decided unanimously to terminate the membership agreement of the Albany Empire,” the league\u00a0wrote in a statement<\/a>.” The decision was reached after an emergency conference call of the members in good standing to discuss the Empire’s failure to pay their league mandated and overdue assessments.”<\/p>\n Brown’s accountant, Alex Gunaris, had told the NAL that the former\u00a0NFL\u00a0receiver probably wouldn’t end up paying what was owed, per CBS Sports<\/a>, and the team’s membership was terminated when he did not pay by the deadline.<\/p>\n “Unfortunately Mr. Brown has failed to meet the deadline to his teams required financial obligations, and as a result the league has terminated his membership Agreement,” the league said in a statement, per CBS Sports.<\/a><\/p>\n MORE:\u00a0Comparing overtime rules among the preseason, regular season and postseason<\/a><\/p>\n Arrest warrant for\u00a0failing to make child support payments<\/p>\n In April 2023, an arrest warrant was issued by a Miami-Dade County judge\u00a0for Brown after he failed to make\u00a0child support payments to\u00a0his ex-girlfriend, Wiltrice Jackson, per TMZ.<\/a> Court documents indicated Brown would be released of custody if he paid\u00a0$30,000. Brown then proceeded to post on social media indicating he made the necessary payments.<\/p>\n In August 2023, another arrest warrant for Brown was released after failure to make a $15,000 child support payment, per CBS Pittsburgh.<\/a>\u00a0Brown posted to social media claiming\u00a0his arrest warrant was not real in an expletive-filled rant that also called out former Steeler and then-media member Ryan Clark. On social media, Clark then responded apologizing, while Brown claimed his outbursts were connected to\u00a0chronic traumatic encephalopathy\u00a0(CTE).<\/p>\n MORE: What to know about Steeler’s owner’s Irish ties<\/a><\/p>\n Filing for bankruptcy<\/p>\n In May 2024, Brown\u00a0filed for\u00a0Chapter 11 bankruptcy. At the time, documents showed that he owed nearly $3 million to eight creditors, per The Athletic.<\/a> He made over $80 million in his NFL career, but\u00a0listed his estimated assets as $50,000 or less.<\/p>\n Per The Athletic,<\/a> the largest claim in the bankruptcy filing was a $1.2 million court judgment owed in the lawsuit\u00a0alleging assault and battery against Brown from 2020.<\/p>\n MORE: What is Aaron Rodgers’ net worth?<\/a><\/p>\n Arrest warrant for alleged attempted murder, extradition from Dubai for Miami incident<\/p>\n In November 2025, Brown was\u00a0reportedly arrested in connection to an incident\u00a0at a Miami boxing event earlier from May 2025, where he allegedly tried to shoot and kill a man.\u00a0Miami police confirmed that U.S. court marshals had captured Brown on Nov. 6, 2025, after a 4.5-month search for the former NFL star,\u00a0per NBC News.<\/a><\/p>\n Brown had been wanted in connection to a shooting on May 16, 2025, outside of an Adin Ross boxing event in Miami. Videos on social media appeared to show the former NFL player in an incident where gunshots could be heard.<\/p>\n In June 2025,\u00a0a\u00a0Miami\u2011Dade County\u00a0judge signed an arrest warrant charging Brown with\u00a0second\u2011degree attempted murder with a firearm related to the incident outside the boxing event.\u00a0The warrant alleged Brown seized a handgun from a security guard and fired two shots at a man he had fought, grazing the victim’s neck, per the LA Times.<\/a><\/p>\n It wasn’t until November 2025 that\u00a0authorities had him in custody, as\u00a0Brown was extradited from Dubai back to the U.S. to face trial for the charge, per TMZ.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n MORE:\u00a070s Steelers own the history and legacy the modern Chiefs are chasing<\/a><\/p>\n