Antonio Brown pleaded no contest Friday to burglary and battery charges stemming from a January incident in Florida. The free-agent wide receiver's plea was accepted by a Broward County court.
Brown was ordered to serve two years of probation and 100 hours of community service, attend a 13-week anger management program and undergo psychological/psychiatric evaluation and treatment if necessary, per a Broward County Court disposition order. The 31-year-old may travel within the country for work purposes but may not make direct contact with the victims.
"Rather than engage in a protracted legal case," Brown's attorney, Carson Hancock, said in a statement, "Mr. Brown decided to resolve this matter in an expeditious manner in consideration of his family and his football career."
Brown turned himself in to a Florida jail on January 24 after a warrant was issued for his arrest pertaining to an altercation with a moving company earlier that week. He was charged with burglary with battery, burglary of an unoccupied conveyance and criminal mischief and released from jail on $110,000 bond shortly thereafter.
Brown has been out of the NFL ever since the New England Patriots released him last September after the receiver allegedly sent intimidating text messages to a woman accusing Brown of making past unwanted advances toward her.
The NFL is currently investigating civil allegations of sexual assault and rape against Brown in addition to the intimidating texts.
After Brown was detained in January, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters that the league was still reviewing the receiver's case and wanted what was best for Brown.
"In Antonio's situation, I think the first thing is, for all of us, to think about the well-being of Antonio," Goodell said. "To understand what Antonio's going through. We don't talk about the wellness of our players publicly, but I would tell you that you can be sure that the NFL and the NFLPA have a tremendous amount of resources that are available to all players. They are going to be made available to Antonio. We want to help get him on the right track, and get him in a position where he is in a zone where he thinks he can be successful in life. And we are confident that can happen. We want to work to do that and from our standpoint that's the first step. The first step is making sure that we're doing everything to help Antonio."
Brown's status remains under review from the NFL, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Friday. A civil suit filed in September by Brown's former trainer, Britney Taylor, who has accused Brown of sexual assault and rape, is still ongoing. Brown has countersued for defamation.
