Article Courtesy of USA TODAY
By Tom Schad

Published October 11, 2018

   
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown threw multiple items from the 14th-floor balcony of a Florida condo building in April after telling police that $80,000 in cash and the handgun in his closet had gone missing, according to copies of incident reports filed by the Sunny Isles Police Department and obtained by USA TODAY Sports.

Brown, the reports say, returned from an 11-day trip in late April to find that the condo unit he was renting at The Mansions at Acqualina had been cleaned without his permission and the cash and handgun had gone missing.

The next day, police responded to a disturbance at the building and found Brown "very agitated" and yelling at building security officers, claiming they "set him up," according to the incident report.

Police also found that some items in the condo had been thrown within the unit, including a glass coffee table that had been shattered, while other items had been thrown over the balcony.

The incident later sparked a pair of civil lawsuits in Miami-Dade County, according to court records obtained Tuesday: One alleging Brown intentionally inflicted emotional distress by almost hitting a 22-month-old child with some of the items, and another alleging he damaged the condo unit he was renting and refused to pay for the damage.

The lawsuits were filed on consecutive days in Miami-Dade County in August, according to court records, and each seeks more than $15,000 in damages, in addition to legal fees. TMZ first reported the existence of the suits early Tuesday morning.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin told reporters Tuesday that he did not know about the lawsuits and had no comment. Brown's lawyer, Darren Heitner, declined comment via email.

The emotional distress lawsuit, which was filed by Ophir Sternberg, the father of the 22-month-old child, claims that two vases and an ottoman were among the items Brown threw from the balcony. The items landed "a mere foot or two" from the child and his grandfather as they walked near the pool below, according to the suit.

Sternberg alleges the child has "exhibited symptoms of fear and anxiety" since the incident and is "having night tremors every night." The lawsuit also claims there is surveillance video of the items falling near the child and his grandfather.

The second lawsuit was filed by the owner of the unit, which was fully furnished. Brown signed a temporary lease for the unit in February and paid $35,000 per month for the condo, according to a copy of the lease attached to the suit.