Antonio Brown was granted bail by a Broward County judge at a hearing Friday morning and was released from jail on bond early in the afternoon while wearing an ankle monitor. More details inside…
Brown’s bond was set at $100,000 for a felony burglary with battery charge. The total bond for three charges, stemming from an alleged assault of a moving truck driver earlier this week, is $110,000. Brown will be monitored by GPS and be required to release his passport and guns, go through drug and alcohol testing, and get a mental health evaluation.
The hearing was longer than normal and got contentious at times with back-and-forth arguments.
Brown watched the proceedings from another room via teleconference while wearing an anti-suicide smock, a typical precautionary safety method used for high-profile suspects in custody. He largely remained quiet, except when addressed by the judge.
The prosecutors asked that Brown receive no bond, citing his financial status, him being a potential flight risk and his recent instability. Brown’s lawyers — Eric Schwartzreich and Lorne Berkeley — successfully fought for bond and accepted the judge’s requirements for release.
A lingering issue in the courtroom was Brown’s mental state. The prosecutors brought up the fact that Brown’s former agent, Drew Rosenhaus, and the mother of three of Brown’s children, Chelsie Kyriss, both had requested for him to receive mental health help because of his sporadic, impulsive behavior.
The judge ordered a mental health evaluation within 10 days of Brown’s release from jail, but Schwartzreich doesn’t think that is a major factor in this case.
“I don’t think there’s any mental health issues with him. Antonio Brown’s life right now is a reality show,” Schwartzreich said. “He is misinterpreted and misunderstood. He’s not guilty of these charges. He did not commit a felony battery. In this case, when all the facts come out, you will see he will be vindicated and he will be found not guilty.”
Brown is facing charges of felony burglary with battery, burglary of an unoccupied conveyance and criminal mischief less than $1,000. He turned himself in on Thursday to Broward County Jail, where he spent the night.
The felony with battery charge is the most serious of the offenses and can be punishable by up to life in prison.
“They overcharged him,” Berkeley said. “Once a thorough investigation is done, we believe the charges filed will most likely be very different than they are right now.”
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