The next NFL controversy is developing around Antonio Brown. The Bucs receiver allegedly falsified his Corona vaccination record, only following the protocols of vaccinated players.

Munich – It was quiet around Antonio Brown for a long time. It was thought that the star receiver had finally let the Tampa Bay Buccaneers turn him into a model professional. Now, however, the next scandal is just around the corner.

The “Tampa Bay Times” reports that the pro allegedly possessed a fake vaccination certificate. In doing so, the paper cites a former cook of the Bucs player, who is also still awaiting a $10,000 payment from Antonio Brown.

A chat history obtained by The Times shows that the cook was asked by Brown’s girlfriend in July if he could obtain vaccination records from the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. “AB said he would pay you $500 for it,” a message reads.

Antonio Brown: Lawyer assures vaccination of Bucs star

The reason Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine was requested, he said, is because it requires only one dose and thus there is less paperwork on the part of the NFL. Cook would not have been able to obtain the proofs, but Brown would have obtained them by other means and shown them to him just a few weeks later – before the season started.

An employee from the Buccaneers’ fitness team would have photographed the proof and sent it to the responsible persons as proof of the alleged vaccination. This was done in order to speed up the processes within the team. The employee concerned would not have been able to see through the forgery and did not want to comment on the issue when asked by The Times.

The Buccaneers took to Twitter to comment on the report. They said they had checked all the players’ credentials and forwarded them to the NFL exactly as instructed. No irregularities were found.

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– Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) November 18, 2021

“AB” himself, according to the chef, was concerned that the vaccine could have negative consequences for his body. While he personally would not comment either, his lawyer Sean Burstyn assured Brown that he had been vaccinated.

“Antonio Brown understands the seriousness of this pandemic and that is why he has been vaccinated and supports anyone for whom vaccination is recommended,” he explained. “The coronavirus has already caught him himself and taken him out of the team for one game. He is healthy, vaccinated and ready to win another Super Bowl,” the lawyer further assures.

NFL: Antonio Brown missed one game because of Corona

It’s unclear whether Brown had also been vaccinated before the Corona infection. The receiver was one of the few Bucs players to contract Corona this season. As a result, he missed the Week 3 game against the Los Angeles Rams, but went through the protocols of unvaccinated players during that time.

Head coach Bruce Arians said just days before the season opener against the Dallas Cowboys that his team was 100 percent vaccinated.

According to an NFL spokesman, franchises are responsible for checking and recording players’ vaccination status. To do so, players must show their proofs to the teams’ medical departments or the appropriate “Infection Control Officer”.

Producing, using or selling fake vaccination certificates is a criminal offence punishable by heavy fines or even imprisonment of up to five years.

Now it remains to be seen how Antonio Brown will be dealt with. The NFL will most likely initiate its own investigation.