Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown has been suspended for misrepresenting his vaccination status, confirming allegations made against him previously. The indication that he used a fake vaccine card certainly undermines his defenses after those allegations first went public.
Brown’s attorney Sean Burstyn released a new statement on Thursday after the NFL handed down its suspension. While the statement does not admit wrongdoing, it certainly does nothing to dispute the NFL’s findings.
A statement from lawyer @seanburstyn, who represents Antonio Brown: pic.twitter.com/QruBfEZNBG
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 2, 2021
Burstyn says Brown is vaccinated, which multiple reports indicate is now true. We don’t know when Brown got the vaccine, though, so it may have taken place after these allegations went public.
The claim that Brown wanted to avoid a “drawn out and distracting process” by disputing the allegations also doesn’t hold up well to scrutiny. Brown was already poised to miss at least two more games with an ankle injury. His decision to accept the suspension means he’ll largely be missing games he would not have been healthy enough to play in anyway.
Brown, along with two of his teammates, were suspended for the same violation of NFL policy. Burstyn had responded to the initial allegations with a pretty bold claim to defend his client. It’s hard to take that seriously in retrospect.
