Not long after a report surfaced indicating Antonio Brown acquired a fake COVID-19 vaccination card, the NFL is suspending the All-Pro talent. The league handed Brown a three-game suspension, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
The NFL also suspended Bucs safety Mike Edwards for COVID-19 protocol violations, per Rapoport. Brown denied using a fake vaccination card, but the NFL determined he did, in fact, do so. Neither player is appealing; both will be out until at least Week 16. The league did not fine the Buccaneers.
This further mars Brown’s first full Bucs season. Tampa Bay gave the All-Decade wideout an opportunity after a turbulent 2019 and an eight-game 2020 suspension, with Tom Brady leading the charge to bring the mercurial superstar into the fold. While Brown has been productive on the field, he has run into myriad issues that have kept him out of games this season. He missed a game while on the COVID-19 list, has missed several due to a troublesome ankle injury and will now be down until late December because of his second NFL ban in just more than a year.
When Brown landed on the COVID list in September, he was treated as a vaccinated player, returning after eight days. Unvaccinated players who test positive must quarantine for a minimum of 10 days. The wideout’s lawyer nevertheless released a statement Thursday indicating his client is vaccinated (via Rapoport, on Twitter). Making a fake vaccination card or using one is a felony. Brown’s 2020 suspension stemmed partially from felony burglary conveyance and misdemeanor battery charges.
Brown’s ban also surfaced after Bucs HC Bruce Arians said the team did its due diligence regarding Brown’s vaccination status, via ESPN.com’s Jenna Laine. Arians called the matter a non-story last month, and a Bucs statement read a team investigation did not reveal any irregularities (Twitter link). Arians said in early September the Bucs were a fully vaccinated team, but the November report contradicted that status. Given Arians’ initial hesitancy regarding a reunion with Brown last year, this is obviously not a good look for the 12th-year wide receiver or the team.
Brown, 33, was set to miss at least two more games because of the ankle injury he has battled for much of the season. The timing of this suspension does not stand to hurt the Bucs much, though it may affect Brown’s post-2021 future with the franchise. Brown re-signed with the Bucs on a one-year deal in May. The former Steelers dynamo was on pace for another 1,000-yard season, having caught 29 passes for 418 yards and two touchdowns in five games. But he will finish shy of that mark for a third straight year.
A former third-round Bucs pick, Edwards has worked as a backup safety for most of his career. The third-year cover man did post a rare two-pick-six game in Tampa Bay’s first meeting with Atlanta. He will miss the Bucs’ rematch with the Falcons, along with games against the Bills and Saints. Edwards has played in all 11 Bucs games this season.
The NFL also suspended free agent defensive back John Franklin III, who was with Tampa Bay this offseason. The Bucs waived him in August. Franklin also received a three-game ban.
Brown approaching Steve Howe territory.
This thread is going to explode in 10 … 9 …
I’m surprised the comments section is open.
Trade Rumors does like to keep ‘em “closed” from time to time
And also delete comments and entire threads. It’s like living at home with your GD parents.
Can’t upset the sponsors and snowflakes
I get that faking vaccination cards is bad but how is it so much worse than bold face lying like Aaron Rodgers?
They’re both bad. But one involves forgery which is a Federal crime.
baines03 Honestly I wouldn’t be surprised if AB actually is vaccinated, lost his Vax card, and decided getting a fake one was easier then getting a new one.
Faking one is easier than going back to where you got the vaccine and asking for a new one?
AB isn’t real bright…that might just be the case
That’s a bs story. Easy to get card replaced.
lying to someone about how much money you make isn’t crime. reporting false earnings to the IRS is. one is a formal misrepresentation and one is a response to a reporter’s question, big difference.
Rodgers didn’t lie to the league, just the media. League knew he wasnt vaxxed
Rodgers didn’t lie to the NFL. They knew he was unvaccinated. He told them in August. Keep up
Because Rodgers didn’t really lie. He never said that he was vaccinated. The media felt deceived, of course, but he never used that word. Florio wrote about four articles a day about how much he lied, and so, therefore, we all believe that he did so. And, as others said, the league knew. That part got lost because it made those stories look slightly less damning.
Brown and the two others, on the other hand, actually lied. They went out and got fake cards. It’s pretty different than what Rodgers did, though both cases involve not being completely upfront. Rodgers didn’t get fake credentials, he allowed the media to believe what it wanted to. To journalists, getting embarrassed is a bigger offense than anything else in my opinion.
Spot on
AB is a douche. Always has been. There’s not much else to it.
He’s one of the few players where it was painfully clear that he changed once he got big money. His first few years with the Steelers he worked hard and didn’t act out, but once he signed his first extension he started showing more of himself. When the second contract came, he was full blown crazy
Ruckus727 –
No truer words have ever been spoken
Such a scumbag
This clown should be out of chances now.
It’s the NFL…they never run outta chances
*If one is still viewed as still valuable by the league.
He’ll be back and healthy (presumably) for the playoffs though, so Brady will get number 8, and that’s all that matters.
All the talent in the world but has a nickel for a brain. When is enough enough with this guy
AB came from the ghettos of Miami and is playing with house money. Asking him to change who is isn’t reasonable. Without constant monitoring this isn’t going to end well.
whosehighpitch –
If you gave a nickel for his brain, you’d be owed .04 back!
Crazy how many are brainwashed into thinking this is a vaccine. If we’re going to call this shot a vaccine then no vaccine has ever been used before. This shot, still under EAU, fits no definition of a vaccine.
Mr. Bogus Credentials
How many lives does AB have? And at what point in time does his agent have some accountability for his missteps.
His agent isn’t his mom lmao, this a grown man we talking about
How is this only 3 games honestly, 3 for Edwards I can see but this is not Browns first instance of douchery.
Quit calling each other idiots. Seriously. Obviously you like commenting enough to post, so retain that privilege and don’t ruin it for the rest of us. It doesn’t matter how dumb you think what the other person said was. Just don’t do it. If you can’t realize that, you’re the problem. Just stop it.
i know i dont look better for saying this, but anyone who says such a word should meet the kettle. anyone whose best response is an insult should check themselves.
Evander Kane got 21 NHL games suspension for this. That’s more than 25% of the season.
3 games is tough but not as tough as Kane’s punishment.
A fake card is almost as egregious as an owner selling fake beer at the stadium.