Antonio Brown Suspended 3 Games By NFL For Misleading Vaccination – CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS) – Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown has received a three-game ban for non-payment for misrepresenting his immunization status, the NFL announced Thursday.

Brown was one of three players suspended on Thursday, along with Tampa Bay’s Mike Edwards and free agent John Franklin III. All three players waive their right of appeal. Franklin III will have to serve a suspension if he signs with a team.

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“The health and safety of our players and personnel is our top priority,” the NFL and NFLPA said in a joint statement. “Protocols were developed in conjunction with our respective experts to ensure that we are practicing and playing football as safely as possible during the ongoing pandemic. NFL-NFLPA together reinforces their commitment and further emphasizes the importance of strict adherence to protocols to protect the well-being of everyone involved in the NFL. ”

Brown was accused of using a fake vaccination card in November, which came to light by his former personal chef. Steven Ruiz alleges that Brown’s girlfriend, Cydney Moreau, contacted him about Brown’s willingness to pay $500 for a fake Johnson & Johnson vaccination card.

While Ruiz didn’t get him a vaccination card, he told Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times that “Brown showed him a fake vaccination card, which the broad receiver told Ruiz he had bought for himself and Moreau.”

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While the NFL does not mandate a COVID-19 vaccination for players, those who have been vaccinated have a much different set of procedures than unvaccinated players. The federation reviewed the allegation against Brown and determined that he had indeed falsified his immunization status.

Now the Tampa recipient – who has had problems on all of his previous stops in Pittsburgh, Oakland and New England – will have to miss games against the Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills and New Orleans Saints. Brown will be eligible to return in Week 16.

“We appreciate the League’s prompt handling of this matter and recognize the importance of established health and safety protocols,” the Buccaneers said in a statement following the NFL’s announcement. “We will continue to roll out all of the coalition’s COVID-19 protocols.”

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Brown’s attorney, Sean Burstyn, said on Thursday that Brown is vaccinated but chose to accept the suspension “instead of going through a lengthy and distracting outcome challenge.” Burstyn added that Brown will use the time to get back into training after his ankle injury.