‘Just cut Antonio Brown right now’, NFL analyst demands strong action from the authorities

‘Just cut Antonio Brown right now’, NFL analyst demands strong action from the authorities

Antonio Brown

The NFL announced Thursday that Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Antonio Brown has been banned for the next three games after falsifying his COVID-19 vaccination status.

Brown is one of three NFL players who have been banned for the next three games without pay. Mike Edwards, a cornerback with the Buccaneers, and free-agent cornerback John Franklin III were both suspended.

Also Read: “Unbelievable”: Twitter goes crazy after NFL suspends Antonio Brown over ‘fake’ vaccination card

‘Brady would have the final say’

Veteran analysts Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless shared their reactions to the suspension and if it was sufficient punishment.

Bayless later tweeted, “I can’t argue strongly against sending a message by just cutting AB right now. But I don’t think that’s going to happen. I think Brady would have final say and he’ll say “that’s my guy.”

Following the three-game ban for breaking COVID-19 standards, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will continue to be without the former All-Pro Wide Receiver. The reigning champions will also be without backup safety Mike Edwards for the same amount of time after the league and players union determined that they had misrepresented their vaccination status. It has been understood that neither player intends to appeal.

Did the Buccaneers know about Antonio Brown’s non-vaccination status?

Bucs coach Bruce Arians said in September that his club has been fully inoculated against COVID-19. When queried about Brown’s vaccination status in November, Arians stuck by his assertion, claiming the club had done its “due diligence” in investigating the situation. At the time, the Buccaneers issued a statement claiming the team inspected all COVID-19 immunization cards and found “no abnormalities.”

When did things start getting exposed?

Brown’s immunization status was called into question in November when the Tampa Bay Times reported that he had paid for fraudulent COVID-19 inoculation cards prior to training camp. Brown‘s former live-in chef, Steven Ruiz, produced text exchanges in which Brown’s girlfriend reportedly paid Ruiz $500 for a fake immunization card. Ruiz said he was unable to furnish Brown with a false card, but Brown claimed he bought one a few weeks after the original communication.

Antonio Brown
Antonio Brown

The NFL has yet to confirm or deny that report, nor has it provided any details about its inquiry. According to the league, the players falsified their vaccination statuses, and an investigation verified those charges and concluded that the three players breached the procedures.

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