Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown was accused of obtaining a fake COVID-19 vaccination card, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Time fifth report that, according to Steven Ruiz — a former private chef for the wide receiver — Brown asked his girlfriend, model Cydney Moreau, to contact Ruiz over the summer for a fake vaccination card that said Brown had received. Johnson & Johnson injections. . According to a text message provided by Ruiz, Moreau offered $500 for a fake card.
Ruiz said he was unable to obtain a fake card for Brown, according to the report, but he added that a few weeks later, the recipient widely showed him the ones he had for himself and Moreau that he said he had purchased. Brown is said to be reluctant to get the vaccine because of possible side effects.
Ruiz said he went public with the allegation after Brown failed to pay $10,000 owed to him, according to the Times.
In response to the Times story, the Buccaneers released a statement saying they had “received complete immunization cards from all Tampa Bay Buccaneers players.”
“All vaccination cards were reviewed by Buccaneers staff and no abnormalities were noted,” the team said.
Brown’s attorney, Sean Burstyn, told ESPN’s Jenna Laine on Thursday that Brown had been vaccinated, and he said, “If Antonio’s doctors and guidelines call for a booster shot, then at that point. , he’ll be happy to have it live on TV and people can come and watch.”
Moreau told the Times she did not know Ruiz and denied his allegations.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement that league representatives were “aware of the report and have been in contact with the club. We will look into the matter.”
Brown missed the Buccaneers week 3 loss first Los Angeles Rams after testing positive for COVID-19 four days before the match. He was activated the following week but has since missed the past three games because of an ankle injury.
Players do not need to be vaccinated. However, if a player refuses to be vaccinated, they must follow a number of other rules, including daily checks, wearing masks, not congregating in groups of more than three outside of the team’s facilities, not using rooms. Steam bath, do not eat with teammates. meals and strict travel restrictions.
All clubs are responsible for verifying a player’s vaccination status. Players, coaches and other team staff must present their immunization cards to the club’s medical staff for verification.
None of the NFL teams reported any issues with the vaccine tag verification process. Tampa Bay has provided vaccines to its employees several times at the facility.
The league says any attempt by an NFL team employee or player to use a forged or counterfeit card will be subject to a personal conduct policy. In addition, manufacturing counterfeit vaccine tags is a federal crime. The topic was raised by the league on July 22 during a video conference with all 32 NFL teams before the start of training camp. Teams are required to scrutinize the card due to legal and safety issues associated with counterfeit vaccine cards.
