- Antonio Brown's former live-in chef says the football player obtained a fake COVID-19 vaccine card.
- The chef told the Tampa Bay Times that Brown showed him the fake vaccine card over the summer.
- Brown's lawyer told NFL.com on Thursday that Brown is vaccinated against COVID-19.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown has been accused of obtaining a fake COVID-19 vaccine card ahead of the current NFL season, according to a report from the Tampa Bay Times.
Brown's former chef, Steven Ruiz, told the Tampa Bay Times that Brown's girlfriend, Cydney Moreau, asked him to obtain a fake vaccination card for Brown in July.
"Can you get the COVID cards?" Moreau said in a text to Ruiz on July 2, according to a screenshot of the conversation. "JNJ shot. Ab said he would give you $500."
While the texts did not refer to Brown by name, AB is a nickname frequently used for Brown.
Ruiz told the Tampa Bay Times he was ultimately unable to obtain a fake vaccination card for Brown, but told the publication that Brown later showed him fake vaccination cards he had purchased form himself and Moreau before he headed to the Buccaneers' training camp.
Brown's lawyer, Sean Burstyn, told NFL.com's Ian Rapoport that Brown is vaccinated against COVID-19. It remains unclear when Brown got vaccinated.
It's also unclear if Brown will face discipline from the NFL, and the Buccaneers released a statement on Thursday, saying that "all vaccination cards were reviewed by Buccaneers personnel and no irregularities were observed."
"After an extensive educational process conducted through 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 said.
—Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) November 18, 2021
Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians said in September that the team was "100%" vaccinated, but Brown still had to go through a 10-day isolation period imposed on unvaccinated players after he tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this season, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
The Department of Justice has warned against creating fake vaccine cards, saying creating documents with falsified government seals is a federal crime.
An FBI spokesperson told WFLA in August that anyone using a government seal fraudulently could face a fine or up to five years in prison.
Representatives for Brown did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.