Tag: antonio brown covid

4-Down Territory: Discussing the NFL’s most important topics

In “4-Down Territory,” Doug Farrar and Luke Easterling discuss Antonio Brown, Micah Parsons, the Arizona Cardinals, and Matt Rhule’s ego.

As is the case every Tuesday morning, Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar, and Luke Easterling of Bucs Wire and Draft Wire, are here to talk about the NFL’s most pressing issues in “4-Down Territory.” On this week’s video, Doug and Luke agree (and disagree) on the following:

  1. Three NFL players — two current Buccaneers and one former Buccaneer (Antonio Brown, Mike Edwards, and Jonathan Franklin) were suspended last week for falsifying their vaccination status. Given the potentially disastrous results of these actions, should the suspensions have been more than three games each, and did the NFL settle quickly to avoid the specter of more players getting caught doing the same thing?
  2. Panthers head coach Matt Rhule fired offensive coordinator Joe Brady last Sunday because, in part, Rhule had a fixed number of rushing attempts he wanted to hit, and Brady was trying to adjust to Carolina’s realities (no run game, a terrible offensive line, and an iffy quarterback situation). Was this about improving the offense, or a statement about Rhule’s ego?
  3. Cowboys linebacker/edge-rusher Micah Parsons is the runaway Defensive Rookie of the Year — of that, there is absolutely no doubt. The question now becomes, is Parsons the NFL’s best and most impactful defensive player, regardless of position or experience?
  4. And finally, are the Cardinals the NFL’s best team?

You can watch this week’s “4-Down Territory” video right here, and all over the USA Today Sports Media Group network.

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Antonio Brown, two other players suspended three games each for violating COVID protocols

Buccaneers receiver Antonio Brown and defensive back Mike Edwards, along with free agent running back John Franklin III, have been suspended by the NFL for COVID violations.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Antonio Brown, Buccaneers cornerback Mike Edwards, and free agent running back Jonathan Franklin III have each been suspended three games by the NFL for violations of the league’s COVID protocols.

Brown and Edwards are on Tampa Bay’s roster. Franklin last played in the league with the Buccaneers in 2019. He missed the 2020 season with a leg injury and was released by the team in August, 2021.

Per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, Brown had been accused by a former live-in chef of obtaining a fake vaccine card.

The NFLPA represented the three players during a joint NFL-NFLPA review into the recent allegations that players misrepresented their vaccination status under the NFL-NFLPA COVID-19 Protocols. That review supported those allegations and found that the three players violated the protocols.

Per Greg Auman and Lindsay Jones of The Athletic, a league source revealed that the vaccination card Brown presented to the NFL in its investigation was issued in a Florida county outside of the Tampa Bay region, which raised suspicion. The cards produced by Edwards and Franklin had the same county and same date as the card provided by Brown.

The NFL and NFLPA said in a joint statement:

“The health and safety of players and personnel is our top priority. The protocols were jointly developed working with our respective experts to ensure that we are practicing and playing football as safely as possible during the ongoing pandemic. The NFL-NFLPA jointly reinforce their commitment and further emphasize the importance of strict adherence to the protocols to protect the well-being of everyone associated with the NFL.”

Sean Burstyn, Brown’s attorney, said this in a statement:

“Mr. Brown is vaccinated and continues to support the vaccine for any person for whom it is appropriate. The NFL made its determination and, instead of going through the drawn out and distracting process of challenging the outcome, Mr. Brown wrapped this up promptly and he will use this time as an opportunity to treat his ankle injury. Mr. Brown will be motivated, well rested, and in the best shape of his life when he returns in Week 16.”

Brown and Edwards would be eligible to return to the team for their game against the Panthers on December 26.

Brown had not played since Week 6 due to injuries, and he also missed the Buccaneers’ Week 3 loss to the Rams due to COVID — one of the few Buccaneers players to have to do so. He had caught 29 passes for 418 yards and four touchdowns in five games and two starts. Edwards had been a rare stalwart in Tampa Bay’s banged-up secondary, allowing 16 catches on 22 targets for 183 yards, 100 yards after the catch, one touchdown, three interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 72.9.