EX-NFL STAR WIDE RECEIVER ANTONIO BROWN FACING ATTEMPTED MURDER CHARGES IN MIAMI SHOOTING
Former NFL player Antonio Brown is facing an attempted murder charge stemming from a shooting that took place during an altercation outside an amateur boxing event in Miami, according to an arrest warrant.
Brown, 36, is accused of grabbing a handgun from a security staffer and firing two shots at a man he had gotten into a fistfight with earlier. The victim, Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, told investigators one of the bullets grazed his neck.
The warrant does not list an attorney for Brown, an All-Pro wide receiver who last played in the NFL in 2021 for Tampa Bay but spent most of his 12-year career with Pittsburgh. Brown did not respond to messages sent to his social media accounts.
The second-degree attempted murder charge carries a maximum 15-year prison sentence and up to a $10,000 fine.
It is the latest in a series of legal problems for Brown, who has previously been accused of battery of a moving truck driver, several domestic violence charges, failure to pay child support and other incidents. During a 2021 game with Tampa Bay against the New York Jets, Brown took off his jersey, shoulder pads and gloves and ran off the field, leading to his release by the Buccaneers.
After that incident, Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady said people should show some compassion for Brown, who lived at Brady’s home during his time in Tampa Bay.
“It’s a difficult situation,” Brady said then. “Everybody should do what they can to help him in ways that he really needs it. We all love him. We care about him deeply. We want to see him be at his best. Unfortunately, it won’t be with our team.”
According to the arrest warrant, Brown attended a celebrity boxing event in Miami on May 16. Police were called to the location after other patrons reported hearing shots fired. Several of them told officers Brown was the shooter, but when he was detained in the parking lot no weapon was found, but two bullet casings were located.
Brown was released then because the victim was not found immediately, according to the warrant. Later, investigators learned Nantambu was the victim.
Based on surveillance video, the altercation outside the boxing event involving Brown, Nantambu and others was broken up by security staff, one of whom got into a struggle with Brown, the warrant says.
“Mr. Brown appears to retrieve a black firearm from the right hip area” of the security official, the warrant says. “Cellphone video obtained from social media showed Mr. Brown with the firearm in his hand advancing toward Mr. Nantambu on the outside sidewalk. The video captures two shots which occur as Mr. Brown is within several feet of Mr. Nantambu.”
Nantambu identified Brown as the shooter and told investigators he had known Brown since 2022.
In a social media post after the altercation, Brown said he was “jumped by multiple individuals who tried to steal my jewelry and cause physical harm to me.”
During his playing career, Brown caught 928 passes for 12,291 yards and 88 touchdowns. He played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, winning the 2021 Super Bowl along with Brady. Brown was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection.
BUFFALO BILLS SIGN 1ST-ROUND PICK MAXWELL HAIRSTON
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Bills have signed their first-round draft pick, cornerback Maxwell Hairston, to his rookie contract.
Buffalo addressed a key need in its secondary when it selected the 21-year-old Hairston with the No. 30 pick out of Kentucky in April. The 5-foot-11 player is noted for his speed, and he tied a school record by returning three interceptions for touchdowns over his three-year career.
From Michigan, Hairston is being given an opportunity to compete for the starting job opposite Christian Benford.
Friday’s signing comes a day after the Bills completed their three-day mandatory minicamp, with the team now on break before opening training camp next month.
Hairston missed the final practice after hurting his left hamstring on Wednesday. General manager Brandon Beane described the injury as “a little tweak,” and expects the player to be ready for the start of camp.
Buffalo also signed its fourth-round pick, defensive tackle Deone Walker. The team has eight of its nine draft selections under contract, with the exception being its second-round pick, defensive tackle T.J. Sanders.
PETE CARROLL’S ABILITY TO TURN AROUND RAIDERS ONE OF MANY QUESTIONS FACING THE FRANCHISE
HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Pete Carroll bounced around the fields during the Raiders’ offseason practices, exhibiting the youthful enthusiasm that has been the most visible part of his identity throughout his coaching career.
Carroll is in his first season of trying to help the franchise — coming off a 4-13 season and without a playoff victory in 22 years — to recapture some of the glory that long ago made the Raiders an almost annual contender.
His players have spoken glowingly about his impact in such a short time.
“I don’t know how he’s doing it,” wide receiver Jakobi Meyers said. “It’s got to be some type of drug out there or something. He’s got a lot of energy. I truly respect how he keeps the guys going because it takes a lot to get a lot of grown men moving in the right direction.”
Carroll won championships in college at USC and in the NFL with Seattle. Can he get it done in Las Vegas?
It’s the most notable question coming out of minicamp, but not the only one as the Raiders take a break before reassembling in late July for training camp when the temperatures and pressures noticeably rise.
Christian Wilkins’ health
The Raiders thought they would have had standout defensive tackle Christian Wilkins on the practice field this offseason, but a setback in his recovery from a broken foot last season makes his return uncertain.
Another question is how effective Wilkins will be if/when he returns.
His absence has created an opportunity for other tackles to get more work, but there is no true replacement for Wilkins, who last year signed a four-year, $110 million contract.
“I pray that he heals whatever he’s battling,” defensive tackle Adam Butler said. “He’s a tough guy. He’s a great player. We all go through it, but it’s man up and we’re just going to keep working.”
Ashton Jeanty’s upside
Running back Ashton Jeanty, the sixth pick in this year’s NFL draft, has shown enough in practice without full pads and the hitting that comes with them to excite his coaches and teammates.
“You can see why he’s a first-round draft pick,” said fellow running back Raheem Mostert, who also called Jeanty “a generational talent.”
Jeanty will be counted on to boost a rushing game that last season averaged a league-worst 79.8 yards per game.
The Raiders also worked to develop Jeanty’s catching abilities, placing him all over the field to make him more difficult for opponents to defend.
His real challenge will come in training camp and the games that follow.
Kolton Miller’s contract
Some key players didn’t participate in other teams’ minicamps over contract disputes, but left tackle Kolton Miller wasn’t one of them.
Despite having just one season left on his three-year, $54 million deal, Miller was on the field for organized team activities and minicamp. He might be forced to play out this season without the promise of a new contract.
“I want to be a Raider for life,” the 29-year-old said. “I love it here. I don’t want to go anywhere else. I only know one way to do it, and that’s showing up and getting better each day.”
Impact of young players
The offseason practices showed Carroll isn’t afraid to throw rookies into the mix.
In addition to Jeanty from this year’s draft, third-round cornerback Darien Porter and fourth-round wide receiver Dont’e Thornton Jr. ran with the first team. Wide receiver Jack Bech, taken in the second round, also received lots of repetitions.
Other first-year players made notable contributions as well.
“This is not a new process,” Carroll said. “This is the way I’ve done it with rookies and freshmen in the whole thing for a long time. It just depends on how well you orchestrate what you ask them to do, and if they can find success, and then their confidence builds, and then before you know it you got a regular and that just helps our depth and helps us stay competitive.”
More help could be on way
The Raiders could be in the market for two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander after Green Bay released him on Monday. Las Vegas has more than $36 million in salary-cap space, according to overthecap.com, to make a competitive offer to someone who figures to get his share of inquiries.
The club already brought in another notable free agent, announcing Thursday it signed linebacker Germaine Pratt, who was released in a salary-cutting move by Cincinnati on Monday.
Las Vegas signed him to a one-year, $4.25 million deal, someone with knowledge of the contract told The Associated Press. That person spoke on condition of anonymity because the details were not announced.
Pratt made 143 tackles for the Bengals last season, and his addition will add to a linebackers room that includes fellow newcomers Elandon Roberts and Devin White. The Raiders lost two starters at that position in free agency — Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo.
“To put these three guys together where they’re on the field at the same time, that’s a loaded-up group,” Carroll said. “They’re all tough and they’re all physical and they’re all downhill players, which is the style that we love to play with.”
BRIAN FLORES STILL FINDS JOY RUNNING THE VIKINGS DEFENSE AFTER BEING PASSED OVER FOR HEAD COACH JOBS
EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings were in full-team drills during minicamp on Thursday, when an unexpected pre-snap alignment by the defense prompted new center Ryan Kelly to ask coach Kevin O’Connell about the call he should make for blocking that play.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” O’Connell told Kelly, as he later recounted to reporters. “I’ve got no idea what they’re doing over there.”
Yes, that’s the Brian Flores effect on the Vikings offense, a recurring and welcomed feature of practice against one of the NFL ‘s most aggressively experimental defensive coordinators.
“It must’ve been pretty close to the end of the offseason program, because today he ran some stuff that I didn’t even know was in there,” O’Connell said. “That’s Flo. I challenge him all the time to do those things.”
The mad scientist behind the shape-shifting and fast-moving scheme is back for his third season with the Vikings, a pleasant surprise of sorts for a team that figured he’d have landed another head coach position by now. Flores interviewed for vacancies with the Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets in January, but he was passed over by all three clubs.
“Being able to sit in that interview setting and have a conversation for that role is obviously an honor, and those jobs went to guys who were certainly deserved,” Flores said. “It was a great experience, and I enjoyed it. I’m also very happy to be right where I am.”
Flores, who was fired by the Miami Dolphins after three seasons as their head coach from 2019-21, still has a racial discrimination lawsuit pending against the league in response to losing that job. But if there’s any bitterness Flores is harboring, he’s hiding it well. Since O’Connell hired him in 2023, he has embraced this experience with the Vikings and all that has come with it for him and his family.
The Vikings ranked fifth in the league in scoring defense last season after finishing 14th the year before. They were 28th in 2022 before he arrived. Successful spending in free agency helped enhance the depth chart, but Flores has also helped turn unheralded players such as safety Josh Metellus and linebacker Ivan Pace into key contributors.
Last season, the Vikings tied for the league lead with 33 takeaways, leading to a steady stream of on-field celebrations.
“My joy comes from watching them have excitement,” Flores said.
The frequent use of Metellus as an inside linebacker or an edge rusher was one way Flores has used unorthodox schemes to take advantage of his players’ quickness — of body and mind — and keep the opponent constantly guessing. On some third downs, in another example, he’d fill the line with stand-up pass rushers.
Spring practice is the time to tinker. Flores, in regular conversation with safety Harrison Smith, linebacker Blake Cashman or defensive tackle Harrison Phillips, is never afraid to try a new look. Why not see if it can work?
“He’s always trying to evolve. He’s always trying to be one step ahead,” edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel said. “That’s one thing I love about him.”
NINE BIGGEST QUESTIONS HOVERING AROUND NFL’S FIRST WAVE OF MANDATORY MINICAMPS
(NFL.COM)
The NFL offseason is nearing its conclusion, as 27 teams have now wrapped up their mandatory minicamps. Once the final handful of teams take care of their veteran minicamps next week, the league will go quiet until training camps start in July. That doesn’t mean there won’t be anything to talk about, by the way. The offseason workouts may be ending but the questions looming in certain parts of the league will still linger.
The one thing we all know about this time of year is that we get a lot of talk without many answers. Yes, Aaron Rodgers finally signed with Pittsburgh, but we won’t know how he’ll impact the Steelers until real games begin. The same holds true for what wide receiver George Pickens will mean to Dallas or how the quarterback competition in Cleveland will play out. It’s been fun to talk about all these topics, but we’ll be talking about them just as much for the next few months.
With that in mind, this edition of The First Read will delve into other questions that should be on our minds as we move past this round of minicamps. There is no shortage of options for an exercise like this, but we limited our choices to the questions we found most intriguing. Here they are …
1) How will the Eagles replace so much defensive talent?
The major question about Philadelphia’s hopes for a second consecutive Super Bowl win revolve around a defense that lost some key pieces from last year’s championship team. The front seven lost defensive end Milton Williams and edge rushers Brandon Graham (retired) and Josh Sweat. The secondary parted ways with cornerback Darius Slay and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson. So, how will the Eagles retool in the wake of all those departures? They’ll do what they always do, which is rely on the shrewd personnel moves of general manager Howie Roseman and smart coaches to make it all work.
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has a valuable chess piece in slot corner Cooper DeJean, who could move to outside corner or safety in base defense looks depending on how the other players at those spots develop. Fangio also has tremendous faith in the maturation of edge rusher Nolan Smith (who had four sacks in the last year’s postseason) and the potential of second-year edge rusher Jalyx Hunt (who had a sack in that Super Bowl win over Kansas City). The Eagles are also high on adding first-round pick Jihaad Campbell to a linebacker corps that includes All-Pro Zack Baun. Like Baun, Campbell has the versatility to line up in various spots of the defense and be impactful. In other words, there may be some new faces on defense in Philly. The expectations, however, shouldn’t change that much.
2) What veteran quarterback addition will have the biggest impact on his team aside from Aaron Rodgers?
There’s a long list here — including Sam Darnold (Seattle), Justin Fields (New York Jets), Russell Wilson (New York Giants) and Daniel Jones (Indianapolis) — but Geno Smith is the obvious choice. The Raiders traded a third-round pick to acquire him from Seattle, and he’s walking into a situation that is extremely familiar to him. Head coach Pete Carroll was leading the Seahawks back in 2022 when that team decided to deal Russell Wilson to Denver and elevate Smith from backup to starter after Smith spent several years operating as a journeyman backup. Smith has been a solid signal-caller in the three seasons since that point, as he’s averaged 4,075 passing yards and thrown 71 touchdown passes and 35 interceptions.
Smith now reunites with Carroll in Las Vegas, where it’s been years since that franchise had anything close to productive quarterback play. It’s no secret that Carroll is going to run the ball like crazy with rookie running back Ashton Jeanty operating as his bell cow back. What Smith needs to do is the things that the most recent Raiders quarterbacks couldn’t: make the big throws when they matter most, provide steady leadership and avoid the mistakes that plagued him last season, when he threw 15 interceptions. Look, nobody is sitting here predicting the Raiders to morph into a playoff team after winning four games in 2024. However, it is reasonable to expect three to five more victories with Smith providing better quarterback play.
3) Which contender can join Kansas City, Buffalo and Baltimore as an elite team in the AFC?
The Broncos make the most sense right now, with the Chargers not far behind them. The one thing that separates Denver from other teams in this category — along with Los Angeles, Houston and Cincinnati are the most sensible picks — is defense. The Broncos have one of the best units in the league and they remain flush with talent after leading the NFL in sacks and ranking third in points allowed last season. Denver has arguably the best edge-rushing duo in the league in Nik Bonitto and Jonathan Cooper. It has a disruptive interior presence in Zach Allen and the NFL’s best cornerback tandem in Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II and Riley Moss. If the new players added this offseason — linebacker Dre Greenlaw, safety Talanoa Hufanga and cornerback Jahdae Barron, the team’s first-round pick — live up to the hype, this will be the best defense in the league. The offense should also be better this season now that quarterback Bo Nix has a second year in head coach Sean Payton’s offense, and there are more weapons in the mix (including running backs R.J. Harvey and J.K. Dobbins and tight end Evan Engram). Yes, the Broncos are betting on a lot of dudes with long injury histories staying healthy. It’s also worth pondering where this team could go if that actually happens.
4) Will a youth movement make the Ravens defense the most dominant in the NFL again?
Baltimore has high hopes for its first two picks in this year’s draft, as safety Malaki Starks and edge rusher Mike Green have the potential to help this defense immediately. The Ravens started slowly on that side of the football last season, as coverage mishaps and explosive passing plays marred the first half of the year until personnel changes and adjustments turned that unit into one of the league’s best down the stretch. Defensive coordinator Zach Orr already loves the chemistry that has developed between Starks and veteran safety Kyle Hamilton in offseason workouts. Like Hamilton, Starks is versatile and has a nose for the football, so the expectation is that he’ll learn fast. Green was a first-round talent who slipped into the second round because of off-field concerns, and he might end up being one of the steals of the draft. He led the FBS in sacks in 2024, and his athleticism — he played wide receiver in high school and linebacker at Virginia before finishing at Marshall — could make him disruptive in Year 1. Orr admitted to local reporters that this defense learned a lot about itself by dealing with those growing pains in his first year on the job. The additions of Starks and Green should make that process much easier this fall.
5) Will the Bengals defense really improve after so much offseason drama?
It’s hard to see how Cincinnati becomes better on that side of the ball after the way the last few months have played out. The contract dispute with All-Pro edge rusher Trey Hendrickson has moved through multiple stages, from the team allowing him to seek a trade to his complaints about the franchise being unwilling to broker a deal and finally his absence from mandatory minicamp this week. This situation has literally turned uglier with each passing month. Add in the fact that Cincinnati lost one defensive leader to retirement (defensive end Sam Hubbard), released another (linebacker Germaine Pratt) and still doesn’t know when edge rusher Shemar Stewart, its first-round pick, will sign his rookie contract, and it doesn’t feel like this squad is about to change its fortunes with new defensive coordinator Al Golden taking over. What made Cincinnati’s defense so good when this team was a true championship contender was chemistry. The players who played for former defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo bought into his creative schemes, and they created problems for various teams, most notably Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Bengals learned a tough lesson on defense when that unit declined after veteran safeties Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell left in free agency following the 2022 season (Bell returned to the team in 2024). Losing more leaders from a much worse defense won’t make things any easier around those parts.
6) Does Kirk Cousins end up being a backup in Atlanta this season?
Unless we’re missing something here, this is the only option for Cousins at this stage. There could’ve been some smoke around Pittsburgh if Rodgers had decided to retire, but that didn’t happen. Every other team that needed a veteran quarterback earlier this offseason found one, leaving Cousins with no other choice than to make it work in Atlanta a little while longer. He did show up for the team’s mandatory minicamp, which is a good start if you’re going to be stuck in a place you don’t want to be for the foreseeable future. There’s also the real possibility of Cousins being traded later in the year if another team suffers through injury problems at quarterback. He reportedly has said that he wants to be dealt to a team where a starting job is available. In that case, it’s time for him to wait patiently for a vacancy to appear. Cousins made $100 million in guaranteed money when he signed with Atlanta last season. The best he can do for now -– and he said as much this week — is be a reliable backup to Micheal Penix Jr.
7) Can the 49ers enjoy a bounce-back season after enduring so many problems in 2024?
There are a lot of questions for the 49ers to answer after finishing 6-11 last season, but it’s not like they don’t have talent. The real issue is whether they can stay healthy and if the return of defensive coordinator Robert Saleh can energize a defense that finished 29th in points allowed. That unit could look a lot better if rookie edge rusher Mykel Williams can be the perfect complement to All-Pro Nick Bosa. It’s been years since the 49ers could line up with two bookends capable of hounding opposing passers. That defense also needs to improve because the 49ers will be going through their own transition on offense. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel is gone and fellow wideout Brandon Aiyuk is returning from a torn ACL. That puts a heavier burden on quarterback Brock Purdy to utilize players like Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall in the passing game. Of course, it also will help if running back Christian McCaffery can play in more than four games, as he did last season. It’s clear that plenty of things have to go right for the 49ers to be playoff contenders again. It’s also true that several core players still remain from a team that played in four conference championship games and two Super Bowls in the last six years. They’ll be better than most think.
8) Does the presence of Davante Adams make the Rams offense elite again?
Adams has posted five straight 1,000-yard seasons. It wouldn’t be smart to bet against him extending that streak even though he turns 33 years old in December. The Rams signed Adams because they understood one of the major factors in their mediocre offense was their inability to keep talented receivers on the field. Both Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua missed time last season and neither player hit the 1,000-yard mark. As a result, the Rams fielded an offense that ranked 20th in scoring and 15th in yards. Adams proved last year that he still has enough juice to be a difference-maker, as he totaled 67 receptions, 854 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 games with the Jets following a midseason trade from Las Vegas. He also did all that while playing for a team that fired its head coach and offensive coordinator. Now imagine what Adams can do with one of the game’s brightest offensive minds (head coach Sean McVay), a gifted quarterback still playing at a high level (Matthew Stafford) and Nacua and other weapons around him. Adams already has raved about McVay, the team chemistry and the positive vibes around the Rams facility. In fact, the more he talks, the harder it is to imagine the Rams not being one of the most dangerous offenses in the league again.
9) What’s going to happen with Jalen Ramsey?
It’s been nearly two months since Ramsey and the Dolphins mutually agreed to explore trade options for the star cornerback. The fact that nothing happened during the draft means Ramsey’s market is a lot harder to determine today. The main issue here is that he’s obviously expensive, as he signed a three-year, $72.3 million extension last September. That’s a steep price to pay -– even for a player as talented and accomplished as Ramsey -– and it doesn’t help his cause that Green Bay just released cornerback Jaire Alexander. The Packers didn’t want to keep Alexander around because of his injury history, but a team looking for a veteran cornerback might find him to be a more attractive investment. The same holds true for free agent cornerbacks like Asante Samuel Jr., Stephon Gilmore and Rasul Douglas, all of whom have been available since March. It’s fair to assume somebody is going to make a deal for Ramsey because there are teams that have the cap space to accommodate him. It’s just that most of those teams aren’t contenders — the Rams are the only franchise to express public interest -– and this situation is far more complicated than it looked back in April.
NFL NEWS ROUNDUP: RAMS SIGNING VETERAN OT D.J. HUMPHRIES AS ALARIC JACKSON DEALS WITH BLOOD CLOTS
INJURIES
OT Alaric Jackson is dealing with blood clots, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero reported. While the belief is Jackson will play in the 2025 season, there are still some questions as to his availability. Jackson, who just signed a three-year, $57 million extension in February, has started 35 of 41 regular-season games played for Los Angeles since he arrived as an undrafted free agent in 2021. The 26-year-old offensive lineman dealt with blood clots in 2022, when he was ruled out midseason after eight games played.
SIGNINGS
OT D.J. Humphries signed a one-year deal with Los Angeles, the team announced. Humphries, 31, had reportedly agreed to terms with San Francisco in April but never officially signed. The veteran offensive lineman is entering his 10th season in the NFL. After eight years in Arizona — including one Pro Bowl season — Humphries spent the 2024 season in Kansas City, starting just two regular-season games.
BARRY SANDERS REVEALS HE SUFFERED A HEART ATTACK LAST YEAR
Barry Sanders is imploring folks to undergo a complete medical checkup, nearly one year after the Hall of Fame running back suffered what he initially labeled as a heart-related health scare.
During an exclusive interview with CBS Sports, Sanders disclosed that the “health scare” indeed was a heart attack.
“Of all things, I don’t know why, that just never entered my mind,” Sanders said of his heart attack. “I’m learning through this process that there aren’t necessarily any warning signs, unless you do what we’re encouraging people to do, which is to go the doctor, get tested for LDLC levels, or bad cholesterol. That’s the only way to find out if you have high cholesterol. It’s not something you’re going to be able to feel. You don’t have to fit a certain physical profile.”
Sanders, 56, shared his experience in “The Making of a Heart Attack,” which will air on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET on A&E.
He said he woke up with a burning sensation in his chest while attending a recruiting visit for his son.
“I couldn’t believe it, honestly. I thought it was like heartburn, but it just kind of persisted,” Sanders said.
He said he drove himself to the emergency room later that afternoon, with tests revealing that his enzyme levels were “really high and getting higher.”
Sanders was a first-ballot selection to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.
The Lions made Sanders, a Heisman Trophy winner at Oklahoma State, the third overall pick of the 1989 NFL Draft. He spent his entire 10-year career with Detroit (1989-98), running for 15,269 yards — now the fourth-most rushing yards in NFL history — and 99 touchdowns while catching 352 passes for 2,921 yards and 10 TDs.
Sanders rushed for 2,053 yards in 1997 when he shared Most Valuable Player honors with Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre. Sanders was selected to 10 Pro Bowls in 10 seasons, named first-team All-Pro six times, voted the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1989 and selected to the NFL 100 All-Time Team.
