Former Buccaneers receiver Antonio Brown will not face battery charge after domestic incident, Tampa prosecutor says
By Sharif Paget and Ray Sanchez, CNN
Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown will not face charges stemming from an alleged domestic battery incident involving a woman in Florida in late November, the State Attorney’s Office in Tampa said in a statement Wednesday.
The Tampa Police Department and the State Attorney’s Office had previously determined there was probable cause to issue an arrest warrant for Brown after interviewing the alleged victim on November 28, the night the incident took place, according to the statement.
The alleged victim, however, recanted her previous allegations — that Brown intended to strike her or cause her bodily harm — when she appeared in person on December 16 to speak under oath with an assistant state’s attorney and victim assistance advocate assigned to the case, the statement said.
“The SAO analyzed this new information along with the body worn camera video recorded at the scene, the Child Protective Services investigation, and the denial of a law enforcement’s Temporary Risk Protection Order and determined we could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt a battery took place,” the statement said.
“As a result, a letter of release was issued, which formalizes the SAO’s decision not to prosecute and withdraws the previously issued arrest warrant,” the statement said.
The State Attorney’s Office “believes that all allegations of domestic violence should be investigated to the fullest extent possible” but the cases are “often difficult and involve conflicting evidence,” the statement said. The office said “all victims deserve to be heard, supported and protected.”
Police had said the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver was allegedly involved in a verbal altercation with the alleged victim at a home in South Tampa late last month.
“At some point later on, the argument turned physical, after the suspect threw a shoe at the victim. The suspect also attempted to evict the victim from the residence and locked her out of the home,” police said in a statement at the time.
The Buccaneers released the seven-time NFL Pro Bowler in January after Brown dramatically walked off the field mid-game against the New York Jets.
Brown, who was part of the Super Bowl-winning Bucs team last season, had previously said he left the game because of an ankle injury. He said the team knew about his injury, something the Bucs have denied.
The incident came weeks after Brown said he was suspended in December for three games without pay following a league investigation that determined he violated Covid-19 protocols.
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CNN’s Mallika Kallingal, Jamiel Lynch and Melissa Alonso, and David Close contributed to this story.
