Antonio Brown was accused last month by the community in which he lives of destroying a security camera and throwing a bicycle at a security guard on Oct. 15, the Miami Herald reported Monday, citing a police report.
The Hollywood (Florida) Police decided they had probable cause to charge Brown with criminal mischief, a misdemeanor, but the president of the Hollywood Oaks homeowners association declined to press charges, the Herald reported. According to the report, the president, Sylvia Berman, told police she feared Brown “may retaliate against her employees.”
Berman told the Herald “we’re not afraid” of Brown but instead the Hollywood Oaks board decided the incident wasn’t serious enough to press charges and that the now-Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver agreed to fix the camera that was damaged.
Alana Burstyn, a spokeswoman for Brown, told the newspaper that any issues between the homeowners association and Brown “have been fully and amicably resolved, and everyone is getting along just fine.” She added: “I am not sure who is trying to promote this narrative.”
In a second statement sent to the Herald, Burstyn said: “Antonio regrets that he lost his cool that day and he has made amends with the HOA (Hollywood Oaks Homeowners Association).
“However, he is rightly concerned that he is routinely targeted by some people for mistreatment and undue scrutiny because he is Antonio Brown. He wants to be a good neighbor, good citizen and a good teammate.”
The case was closed by the Hollywood Police Department on Nov. 5, the Herald reported.
“We are aware of the reported incident involving Antonio Brown prior to his signing. When Antonio joined us, we were clear about what we expected and required of him. Thus far, he has met all the expectations we have in place,” the Buccaneers said in a statement released Monday evening.
Brown has a history of off-field troubles. Before joining the Buccaneers, he served an eight-game suspension for multiple violations of the NFL’s personal conduct policy. He has twice been accused of sexual misconduct and faces a civil lawsuit from one of the accusers that is scheduled to go to trial Dec. 14-18. He also pleaded no contest in June to a felony burglary with battery charge and two lesser misdemeanor charges related to a January incident with a moving truck company outside his Hollywood home.
Brown is currently currently serving two years of probation stemming from the January incident. Part of his probation involved undergoing a 13-week anger management course, along with a psychological evaluation.
The league office was not aware of this alleged incident before Brown was reinstated from his suspension this season and signed with the Buccaneers, a source told ESPN’s Jenna Laine.
Brown has 10 receptions for 100 yards in the two games he has played for the Bucs this season.
