According to several reports, NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown faces accusations of trying to obtain a counterfeit vaccine card.
The Tampa Bay Times reported that Brown made this attempt to falsify his vaccination status to circumvent the league’s virus protocols.
The paper alluded to claims from Brown’s former live-in chef. The chef in question, Steven Ruiz, shared a text message from July 2 when Brown’s girlfriend, model Cydney Moreau, asked him if he could help Brown obtain a fake Johnson & Johnson single-shot vaccine card.
In exchange for providing Brown the card, Ruiz would receive $500.
According to Warner Todd Huston of Breitbart News, Morgan used Brown’s initials in the text, stating, “Ab said he would give you $500.”
The Tampa Bay Times mentioned how Ruiz stopped working for Brown due to the seven-time Pro-Bowl receiver not fulfilling salary commitments that were as much as $10,000.
In addition, Ruiz asserted that he never bought any fake vaccine cards but learned later that Brown discovered fake cards on his own. The chef claimed to have seen the cards lying on Brown’s dining room table.
Brown’s former chef also said that the receiver’s personal trainer Alex Guerrero visited Brown to facilitate his recovery from knee surgery. According to Ruiz, Guerrero took photos of what he believed were counterfeit vaccine cards and sent them over to Buccaneers officials to demonstrate that Brown was vaccinated.
In the chef’s view, he didn’t believe Guerrero knew that he took photos of counterfeit vaccine cards.
Brown’s lawyer refuted the former chef’s claims.
“Antonio Brown appreciates the severity of the pandemic, which is why he got the vaccine and supports everyone for whom it is advisable to get the vaccine. Coronavirus has hit close to home as it took him out of a game. He is healthy, vaccinated, and ready to win another Super Bowl,” attorney Sean Burstyn told The Tampa Bay Times.
“One of the worst parts of the pandemic has been a movement to cast doubt on our country’s vaccination programs with baseless, vindictive tabloid gossip,” he continued.
Brown has not opined on the matter.
However, Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians told the media that his team and the front office staff are “100 percent vaccinated.”
The 12-year veteran is still recovering from a foot injury he suffered on October 14, and his return date has yet to be determined.
After receiving a positive coronavirus test, Brown previously missed one game in the 2021 season, which sidelined him in Week 3.
Brown is one of the most prolific receivers of the past two decades.
At 33 years of age, Antonio Brown has caught 915 receptions for 12,164 yards while hauling in 83 touchdowns during his career. He’s currently ranked in 25th place all-time in terms of career receiving yards