Tampa Bay Buccaneers Wide Receiver Antonio Brown on Thursday denied the claims of his former personal chef about him, availing fake vaccine card to be treated as a vaccinated player under the NFL's COVID-19 protocols.

On Thursday, Brown's personal chef, Steven Ruiz, told the Tampa Bay Times that the wide receiver obtained a fake vaccination card that says Brown was inoculated with a Johnson and Johnson vaccine, ESPN reported.

Antonio Brown's Ex-Personal Chef Says He Came Out With Allegations Over Athlete's Debt

According to reports, the wide receiver's personal chef went public about Brown's vaccine card, because the athlete was not able to pay him back the $10,000 he owed him.

Ruiz reportedly sent text messages revealing that Antonio Brown had his girlfriend, Cydney Moreau, reach out to him in the summer to obtain a fake vaccine card showing that the athlete has gotten the Johnson and Johnson jab.

The former personal chef added that brown's girlfriend allegedly offered him $500 to obtain the card, but he was not able to get one. Weeks later, Brown allegedly showed Ruiz a vaccine card the athlete made for himself.

Moreau also denied the accusations, saying that she does not know Ruiz at that time.

The chef also revealed that Brown was hesitant to take the COVID-19 vaccines due to the side effects.

NFL Spokesperson Brian McCarthy said on Thursday that the league was aware of the reports and that they will investigate the matter. McCarthy previously said that any attempt to use a fake vaccine card could result in a player being disciplined under the league's personal policy.

Antonio Brown Disputed Ex-Personal Chef's Claims About Fake Vaccine Card

Despite the allegations slammed by Ruiz, Brown, through his attorney, said that he did "NOT" submit a fake COVID vaccine card to the NFL.

In a Tweet, NFL reporter Ian Rapoport said that Attorney Sean Burstyn pointed out that the Buccaneer's wide receiver is "in fact, vaccinated."

The attorney also urged the public to get vaccinated like Antonio Brown. "Be like Antonio Brown and get the vaccine," Burstyn noted.

In a statement, Burstyn also addressed the allegations on behalf of the wide receiver saying that Brown understands the "severity of the pandemic" that is why he got the vaccine.

The lawyer added that coronavirus "has hit close to home" as the virus took Brown out of the field. Burstyn then said that Antonio Brown is now "healthy, vaccinated, and ready to win the Super Bowl."

Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers also commented on Ruiz's claims against their wide receiver, saying that all the vaccine cards they received were legitimate.

"All vaccination cards were reviewed by Buccaneers personnel and no irregularities were observed," the NFL team said in a statement. The team added that they received "completed vaccination cards" from all their players and they submitted all the information to the league.

The team also said that turning in of the vaccine cards were made after "an extensive educational process" highlighting the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccines, during the previous off-season.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written By: Joshua Summers

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