Chad Johnson could not hold back his emotions when talking about friend Antonio Brown’s arrest.
The former Steelers and Buccaneers star receiver was arrested Thursday in Dubai and extradited to the U.S. on charges of attempted murder stemming from a shooting incident at a celebrity boxing event in Miami back in May.
Johnson, who has known Brown since he was in high school, got emotional as he weighed in on the situation during the “Nightcap” podcast with co-host Shannon Sharpe.
“I tried to talk to him,” said the former receiver, fighting back tears at one point. “It hurt to see that it’s come to this point. I don’t know how things are going to turn out, but maybe this is something he might need, something to bring him back home and get him back on the right track. I just never wanted to bother him because he’s grown.
“This s–t just made me sad to see, for somebody that special, to understand all the obstacles and the sacrifices he went through to get to where [he was] at, and then just to let it go like that.”
Warning: Adult language
Brown, 37, was apprehended by U.S. Marshals on Thursday. A date for transfer to Miami-Dade County has not yet been officially set.
He was at large since an arrest warrant was issued in June.
Brown was overseas at the time and remained there on a $10,000 house arrest bond.
The four-time All-Pro, who remained active on social media while overseas, was taken into custody at Newark Airport in New Jersey and was awaiting transfer from Essex County jail, NBC6 Miami reported.
The May incident that landed Brown under arrest saw him caught on a viral video claiming he was jumped in an attempted robbery.
It showed Brown, who was detained and released by police at the scene, allegedly getting into a physical scrap with men in a parking lot before gunfire could be heard.
Witnesses at the scene identified Brown as the alleged shooter, according to the arrest warrant.
Video obtained by Miami police showed Brown allegedly striking the victim, Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, and obtaining a security officer’s gun before heading toward the victim.
Brown, who “handed over the keys to the socials and CTESPN to my team” after his arrest, last played in the NFL during the 2021 season when he ran off the field mid-game during the Buccaneers’ contest against the Jets at MetLife Stadium.
The Super Bowl champion has since become a constant and, at times, bizarre presence on social media.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
