Tampa Police Requested Risk Protection Order vs Antonio Brown; Denied By Judge

Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown was served with a petition for a risk protection order in Hillsborough County, Florida on Wednesday, according to a court document obtained by Steelers Now.

The Tampa Police Department requested the risk protection order, which is designed to restrict firearm and ammunition possession by a person who poses a danger to themself or others.

The request for the risk protection order was denied by judge Denise Pomponio. The reason for the denial was not available through court records.

Risk protection orders are part of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act that was passed by the Florida Legislature in 2018 after the tragic school shooting that killed 17 in Parkland, Florida.

In instances where a person poses a risk to themselves or others, the statute allows law enforcement officers or agencies to restrict their use of firearms. That request must be approved by a judge, which did not happen in Brown’s case.

Brown played for the Steelers from 2010-18. He last played in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021. Brown won a Super Bowl with the Bucs after the 2020 season, but ended his tenure with the team, and to this point the NFL, when he quit on the team in the middle of a game against the New York Jets on Jan. 2, 2022.

Brown has been in repeated legal trouble dating back to his time in Pittsburgh. He was sued for throwing furniture from the balcony of his apartment and nearly hitting a child, he was sued by a doctor and a personal chef for non-payment, and was involved in several domestic disputes.

Brown was released by the New England Patriots in 2019 and served an eight-game suspension after he was accused of sexual assault by a former trainer. After serving the suspension, he was then signed by the Buccaneers and eventually settled the lawsuit with his former trainer. While playing with the Buccaneers, Brown was suspended three games in 2021 for obtaining a fake COVID-19 vaccination card.

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Brown also made headlines this October when a video surfaced that showed Brown indecently exposing himself to guests in a Dubai hotel swimming pool in May.

Later in October, a Florida judge ruled that Brown owes $1.2 million in a lawsuit stemming from an incident in 2020 when he allegedly assaulted a moving truck driver outside his Florida home. Brown’s last known residence is in Hollywood, Florida, which is on the Atlantic coast and about a four-hour drive from Tampa.

A social media post on Wednesday night claimed that an arrest warrant for domestic violence had been issued for Brown in Hillsborough County, but no such record was found on the county’s web portal as of early Thursday morning.