Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Antonio Brown suspended 3 games for COVID-19 violation

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown has been banned from three games for violating the NFL-NFLPA-COVID-19 protocols, the league said on Thursday.

The league and players’ union found that Brown was among three players who misrepresented their vaccination status. A former Brown personal chef said earlier this month that the wide receiver received a fake COVID-19 vaccination card this summer.

Buccaneer’s backup safety Mike Edwards and free-agent wide receiver John Franklin III, who Tampa Bay waived in August, were also suspended for three games. All three players accepted their discipline and will not appeal, according to the NFL.

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Brown and Edwards’ suspensions are unpaid. Both are eligible to return to the Buccaneers line-up for the team’s December 26 game against the Carolina Panthers.

“The NFL-NFLPA jointly reaffirm their commitment and continue to emphasize the importance of strict adherence to protocols to protect the well-being of all those associated with the NFL,” said a statement from the league and the players’ union.

Brown wasn’t expected to play in the next two games due to an ankle and heel injury that has been keeping him away since week 7, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Wednesday. Edwards, who competed in Safety and Nickelback, forced a fumble in defeating the Indianapolis Colts last week and leads the team with three interceptions.

Chef Steven Ruiz said earlier this month that Brown’s girlfriend, model Cydney Moreau, would be in touch with him this summer to get a fake vaccination card. After failing to acquire a fake card for Brown, Ruiz said the wide receiver showed him some weeks later the ones he owned for himself and Moreau, which he allegedly bought.

Ruiz told ESPN that Brown got his fake vaccination card from a Buccaneers teammate. Ruiz declined to name the other player.

Brown’s attorney Sean Burstyn had denied that Brown had received a forged vaccination card.

A day after Ruiz’s first allegation, Buccaneers manager Bruce Arians said the team had done their “due diligence” on checking players’ vaccination cards, adding, “I really don’t think it’s a story.”

“We appreciate the League’s timely handling of this matter and recognize the importance of the health and safety protocols being drawn up. We will continue to implement all of the league’s COVID-19 protocols, ”the Buccaneers said in a statement Thursday.

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