Hours after surrendering to authorities and being booked into jail, former NFL star Antonio Brown appeared in front of a Broward judge, and by shortly after noon Friday he was released on $110,000 bond.
The free agent wide receiver surrendered at the jail just before 10 p.m. Thursday. He was wanted on an arrest warrant out of Hollywood on three criminal charges.
Brown, who ended up spending the night in jail, arrived with his lawyers and an entourage.
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Hollywood police issued an arrest warrant for Brown following an alleged battery and burglary at his home Tuesday, which resulted in the arrest of his trainer, Glenn Holt.
Brown, 31, faces charges of burglary with battery, burglary of an unoccupied conveyance and criminal mischief less than $1,000, Lata said.
“He’s overcharged,” said defense attorney Lorne Berkeley after Brown’s first-appearance court hearing Friday morning. “That’s the bottom line.”
Co-defense attorney Eric Schwartzreich sought a lower bond amount, saying Brown was not likely to flee if released from jail.
“He turned himself in. He got over to the jail. He did so voluntarily. He did so on his own will,” he said. “The state’s concern of a flight risk, he would have already left. I mean, he’s Antonio Brown, judge, he’s not going to go anywhere. Everyone knows who he is.”
When Broward Judge Corey Amanda Cawthon decided against keeping Brown in jail without bond, he looked skyward and mouthed the words “Thank you” several times.
When released from jail, Brown ran across the parking lot to avoid a crowd of reporters, but he ended up walking back toward them to catch his ride home without answering any of their questions.
Brown must wear a GPS ankle monitor device as part of his release conditions. His passport also had to be surrendered to Schwartzreich, who was awaiting delivery from the Oakland Raiders, one of Brown’s former teams.
Police responded to a 911 call alleging battery about 2 p.m. Tuesday, and issued the warrant about 9:30 p.m. The alleged victim told officers he was battered by Brown and Holt.
According to the arrest report, the driver — identified only as “Manuel” — was delivering some household goods that were stored in California. There was an argument over the $4,000 delivery fee and an additional $860 for damage caused by Brown allegedly throwing a rock at the truck.
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On Wednesday, Brown wrote on Twitter: “They want my name slandered.”
Police were called to Brown’s house on Estate Oak Circle several times in the past month to deal with incidents between him and his live-in girlfriend of eight years and the mother of three of his children.
After one of the confrontations, Hollywood cops last week returned $5,000 to Brown that was meant for kids’ football.
Citing “an irreparable rift” between police and Brown, they gave him back his money after they said he treated them “with disrespect and disdain.”
Last week, cops were called again and Brown was angry with Hollywood cops and waved a bag of gummy candies shaped like penises at his girlfriend.
This arrest adds to his legal troubles.
In September, he was accused of rape by a former trainer. Britney Taylor says Brown sexually assaulted her on three occasions, according to a federal lawsuit.
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Taylor said Brown reached out to her via Facebook in June 2017 and asked the former gymnast for help with improving his strength and flexibility.
According to the lawsuit, Taylor was sexually assaulted by Brown on separate training trips to Pittsburgh and Florida that same month. The suit includes what it says are text messages from Brown bragging about the second assault.
Taylor says in the suit she then cut off ties with Brown. But she agreed to work with him again after she says he apologized and agreed to provide hotel accommodations for each training trip.
According to the lawsuit, Taylor and Brown were in Miami in May 2018 when he raped her in a bedroom at his home. Taylor says she shouted “no” and “stop,” but Brown refused.
But the lawyer who was representing him at the time said Brown was approached by Taylor in 2017 about making a $1.6 million investment in a business project. He declined. His lawyer also said Taylor traveled to his home on multiple occasions and asked for tickets to a Pittsburgh Steelers game.
[ RELATED: Former NFL star Antonio Brown throws sex-themed gummies in domestic spat in Hollywood ]
Brown "refuses to be the victim of what he believes to be a money grab,” that lawyer told The Associated Press.
Judge Cawthon also ordered Brown to turn over any guns he has, avoid any contact with the moving company driver in this case, and to have a mental health evaluation.
“I don’t think there’s any mental health issues with him,” Schwartzreich said. "Antonio Brown’s life right now is a reality show. That’s what it is. He’s misinterpreted and misunderstood.”
Staff writer Lisa J. Huriash contributed to this report.