Antonio Brown sat by the pool one night earlier this month as rows of multi-colored jewels flashed on the screen in front of him. "Let's win some money, guys," he said into the camera.
For nearly 90 minutes, the man who was once the NFL's most dominant and enigmatic wide receiver hawked promo codes for an offshore gambling website while a livestream audience of a few dozen people watched him play online slots. One fan in the stream's chatroom told Brown they were praying for him. He smiled.
"I can't let them take me out," Brown said with a laugh. "... Nah. AB snuck out the back door."
The context was unspoken but clear. A little less than three weeks earlier, Brown had flown to the Middle East after authorities in Miami-Dade County charged him with attempted second-degree murder. According to a copy of the arrest warrant obtained by USA TODAY Sports, he allegedly grabbed a security guard's gun and fired two shots at an acquaintance outside an amateur boxing event May 16.
Brown, 37, described the charge as "fake" in a post on social media but has a warrant out for his arrest − the latest twist in what has been a tumultuous three-year stretch since he last played professional football.
