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MIAMI -- Former NFL star Antonio Brown pleaded guilty Friday to aggravated assault with a firearm in connection with a 2025 shooting outside a celebrity boxing match in Miami.
Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez sentenced Brown to three years of probation, during which time he will have to attend weekly counseling sessions and not possess a firearm, among other conditions.
Wearing a black leather jacket and white pants, he spoke sparingly and in a low voice during the brief proceedings in Miami state court. As he entered his guilty plea, the judge asked him to speak up.
Outside the courtroom, Brown thanked God and said he wanted to "get back to life" and his family.
He declined to answer other questions, but his lawyer, Mark Eiglarsh, said they were "extremely grateful" the case was behind them.
"My client was facing 30 years in prison with a 20-year minimum mandatory, and he was given an offer he just couldn't refuse," he said. "Probation was too good to turn down, and we're both very excited about the outcome."
The plea to the reduced charge allows the All-Pro wide receiver to avoid prison time and a criminal conviction.
Brown had initially been charged with attempted murder after police say he grabbed a handgun from a security staffer at the event and fired two shots at a man he had been in a fistfight with earlier.
Brown, 38, maintained he was defending himself from an attack as others were trying to steal jewelry from him.
Hurting RB
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson revealed he has spent several days in the hospital undergoing tests to determine the cause of unexplained neurological symptoms that have affected his strength and coordination.
While the tests results have been what he called "reassuring" in coming back positive, the cause of the medical condition remains unknown, Henderson said in a lengthy post on his Instagram account.
The 24-year-old Henderson has not practiced since Oct. 29, when he was listed as having an illness, and did not play last week against Miami.
Elsewhere in NFL:
n Myles Garrett is expected to return to the field for the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday at Washington after missing the past seven games with a knee injury. Coach Sean McVay announced Garrett's likely availability before the last practice of the week. The Rams acquired the two-time AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year in a trade over the summer, but he has played in just one game for his new team. That was the Rams' season-opening blowout loss to the 49ers in Australia. Garrett was ineffective in that game and revealed afterward that he was limited by the knee injury.
n Shedeur Sanders will be the Cleveland Browns starting quarterback for Sunday's game at the New Orleans Saints. Sanders steps in with Deshaun Watson in concussion protocol. Watson was at Friday's practice but didn't participate in team reps. Coach Todd Monken said Watson's absence from practice made the decision easy. Sanders played briefly last week against Pittsburgh after Watson took a helmet-to-helmet hit. Sanders, the son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, started seven games last season. Sunday's game features quarterbacks from the 2025 NFL draft class. Cleveland aims to avoid consecutive losses, while New Orleans returns from a bye week.
n The NFL has told disgruntled receiver Brandon Aiyuk that he needs to repay the San Francisco 49ers about $13 million he previously received in bonuses as he tries to get reinstated to the team's roster. A person with knowledge of the situation says the league sent Aiyuk and the NFL Players Association a letter Thursday saying that he owes the 49ers the money based on bonuses he was paid after signing a four-year, $120 million extension before the start of the 2024 season. Aiyuk and new agent, Drew Rosenhaus, met with the team Friday at the Niners' business offices.