Report: Antonio Brown accused of obtaining fake vaccination card

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown is in trouble again. The Tampa Bay Times reports he obtained a fake COVID-19 vaccination card to avoid NFL COVID-19 protocols.

The accusation came from Brown’s former live-in chef, Steven Ruiz, who told Rick Stroud that Brown’s girlfriend was involved in getting him a fake vaccination card to get around the NFL’s protocols.

Brown was willing to pay $500 for a fake Johnson & Johnson vaccination card back inJuly, Stroud reported. Ruiz provided The Times with screenshots of text messages with Brown’s girlfriend to set it up.

According to Steven Ruiz's screenshot, Brown's girlfriend Cydney Moreau asked the chef to purchase fake vaccine cards for A.B., the Bucs player.

Ruiz says Brown later showed him cards that Brown said he bought for himself and Moreau: https://t.co/xZ67kjqgYR pic.twitter.com/3Kmo3PQn08

— Tampa Bay Times (@TB_Times) November 18, 2021

“Can you get the covid cards?” Brown’s girlfriend, Cydney Moreau, texed Ruiz, according to Stroud’s report.

“I can try,” he reponded.

“JNJ shot,” Moreau texted back. “Ab said he will give you $500.”

The Buccaneers released a statement Thursday night about the report saying they didn’t find anything wrong with players’ vaccination cards.

“After an extensive educational process conducted throughout our organization this past offseason highlighting the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccines, we received completed vaccination cards from all Tampa Bay Buccaneers players and submitted the required information to the NFL through the established process in accordance with league policy,” the statement read. “All vaccination cards were reviewed by Buccaneers personnel and no irregularities were observed.”

According to an NFL spokesperson via The Times, players are supposed to show their vaccination cards to their team’s medical staffs and/or infection control officer, and allegations of a fake vaccination card will be reviewed.

Legally, Brown could be in even more trouble. The creation, use or sale of fake vaccination cards is a felony that could result in up to five years in prison and fines.

Brown is in his second year with the Buccaneers and has played in five games this season. He has 42 receptions for 419 yards and four touchdowns for Tampa Bay, but hasn’t played since Oct. 14 as he’s dealt with ankle and foot injuries. He didn’t practice Thursday as he continues to recover, according to the Buccaneers’ injury report.

Antonio Brown has had quite a journey in the NFL over the years

This isn’t the first time Brown has dealt with issues away from the field. He was accused of sexual assault by a former trainer in 2019 and has been accused multiple times of not paying people. In 2020, he also allegedly destroyed a security camera and threw his bicycle at the security guard stand of his gated community.

Brown has bounced around the league since leaving the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2018. He was traded to the Oakland Raiders, but never played a game with them due to multiple off-the-field issues, including a verbal altercation with general manager Mike Mayock. They released him, and he signed with the New England Patriots.

After multiple personal and sexual misconduct allegations, the Patriots cut Brown after just one game. He latched on with the Buccaneers in October 2020 despite being suspended for the first eight games after violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.