Few NFL stars have experienced such a dramatic post-career unraveling as Antonio Brown, and his story just took another unexpected twist. In the latest chapter of his attempted murder case, the alleged victim has reportedly skipped out on a mandatory deposition. And this absence has set the stage for the defense to push for sanctions and raise questions about the witness’s future involvement in the trial.

As per reports from LA Magazine’s Lauren Conlin, the alleged 41-year-old Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu did not appear for a deposition scheduled Thursday morning despite allegedly being personally served notice to attend. The missed appearance triggered a legal response from Brown’s attorney, Mark Eiglarsh, who filed a Motion for Rule to Show Cause asking the court to compel Nantambu to explain his absence.

The incident dates back to May 16, 2025, when Antonio Brown attended a celebrity boxing event hosted by streamer Adin Ross in Miami’s Little Haiti neighbourhood. Outside of the event, Brown engaged in an altercation with Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu and several other individuals. Video footage reportedly showed Brown, wearing a green army helmet, getting into a physical melee and throwing the first swing after being approached by a man dressed in black.

However, when the security guards stepped in to break the fight, an arrest warrant alleged that Brown struggled with a security staffer, snatched a black handgun from the guard’s right hip area, chased Nantambu behind a white SUV, and fired two shots at close range. One of the bullets grazed Nantambu’s neck.

Later, police briefly detained Antonio Brown at the scene, but he was released without immediate charges. Miami-Dade authorities shortly issued an arrest warrant for second-degree attempted murder, but Brown evaded the warrant and flew to Dubai.

But on November 6, 2025, in a joint operation, U.S. Marshals and Dubai Police arrested Brown in the Middle East. He was flown back to the U.S. and temporarily held at a jail in Essex County, New Jersey. Shortly after, in November, Brown was extradited back to Florida and booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami. However, he pleaded not guilty and was released on a $25,000 bond under strict house arrest with a GPS ankle monitor.

The prosecutors formally arraigned Brown and announced they are seeking a firearm sentencing enhancement, raising his maximum potential penalty from 15 to 30 years in prison. Meanwhile, Brown’s attorney, Mark Eiglarsh, filed a formal motion to dismiss all charges under Florida’s Stand Your Ground law, arguing that Brown fired warning shots in self-defense against a stalker.

In February 2026, Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez established the blueprint for the legal proceedings, officially scheduling the Stand Your Ground immunity hearing for June 23, 2026, and setting the criminal trial date for January 11, 2027. And as per the latest reported update, the alleged victim, Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, failed to appear for his mandatory deposition.

Apart from filing a Motion for Rule to Show Cause, the defense is also reportedly seeking potential sanctions against Nantambu. This would include possible contempt proceedings and even a request to bar him from appearing on the prosecution’s witness list if noncompliance continues. Miami Judge Tinkler Mendez has since ordered Nantambu to appear before the court at 9 a.m. Friday, May 15.

A look into the troubles surrounding Antonio Brown’s post-football career

Antonio Brown retired from the NFL in 2021 after representing the Pittsburgh Steelers (2010-2018), New England Patriots (2019), and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2020-2021). But shortly after, a series of legal troubles came as a hurricane in his life.

To start, in November 2022, Tampa police issued an arrest warrant for Brown on misdemeanor domestic violence battery charges. This came after a verbal altercation that reportedly turned physical with his ex-fiancée, Chelsie Marie Kyriss, who is also the mother of Browns’ four children. Meanwhile, Brown locked himself inside his Tampa home for weeks, ignoring police demands to surrender. Prosecutors eventually withdrew the arrest warrant in late December 2022 after the victim recanted her testimony.

Then came repeated arrests for unpaid child support. In April 2023, a Miami-Dade County judge issued an arrest warrant after Brown failed to pay $30,000 in overdue child support to his ex-partner, Wiltrice Jackson. Before Kyriss, the former NFL star shared a relationship with Jackson and are parents to a daughter named Antanyiah.

However, Brown avoided jail by paying the sum immediately. Months later, in August, a second arrest warrant was issued in Florida for a separate $15,000 child support delinquency owed to Jackson. Then again, in October 2023, Brown was physically arrested by police outside his luxury condo building in Broward County, Florida, for the August-issued warrant. He was booked into jail and released after paying a baseline bond.

Then in 2024, a new legal trouble surfaced. Despite career earnings exceeding $80 million, Antonio Brown filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May. The former NFL star reportedly claimed to hold less than $50,000 in liquid assets against roughly $3 million in debt. Later, in July 2025, a federal judge converted his bankruptcy into a Chapter 7 liquidation, appointing a trustee to seize and sell off his property.

Due to this verdict, Brown was legally forced into a settlement in December 2025. He eventually had to give up his $4 million waterfront mansion on Lake Keystone in Tampa Bay to satisfy his creditors. So, that’s how Brown’s life post-NFL career has unfolded. Only time will tell what lies ahead for the 37-year-old.