TAMPA, Fla. — The Hillsborough State Attorney said Wednesday that charges against former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown have been dismissed, and prosecution is terminated.
Brown had been wanted by Tampa Police after he was accused of misdemeanor domestic violence in early December. Tampa Police went to Brown's house on December 1, trying to get him to come out of the home. However, TPD eventually left the home and no further action was taken by police in the case.
The incident in question, according to Tampa Police, saw Brown allegedly throwing the woman's belongings out of the house. At some point, before police arrived, Brown allegedly came out of the home and "threw a shoe at the victim, striking her in the ponytail." By the time police arrived, Brown had allegedly locked all of the doors and windows to the home and refused to come out.
Police said they made multiple attempts to get Brown to open the home but were never successful. According to TPD, Brown had placed an informal eviction notice on the door and repeatedly said the woman had no right to be at or enter the home.
However, weeks after the incident when the alleged victim was sworn in to give testimony, the state attorney's office said she recanted "her previous allegations regarding Mr. Brown's intent to strike her or cause her bodily harm."
That fact, combined with the SAO reviewing body camera video, a Child Protective Services investigation, and the denial of a Temporary Risk Protection Order all led the prosecutor to determine "we could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt a battery took place."
Brown’s contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was terminated a few days after he tossed his equipment into the stands and left in the middle of a Jan. 2, 2022, game. Brown had said he was pressured to play injured, but then-Tampa Bay coach Bruce Arians said Brown was upset about not getting the ball enough.
Brown has a long history of troubling behavior on and off the field, including being accused by two women of sexual assault, one of whom said Brown raped her. In the 2021 season, he served a three-game suspension for misrepresenting his COVID-19 vaccination status.
He was also suspended for eight games in 2020 for multiple violations of the NFL's personal conduct policy.
