2 Bucs Players Suspended By NFL For Violating COVID-19 Protocols

TAMPA, FL — The National Football League announced Thursday that three players have been suspended for violating the NFL's COVID-19 protocols, including Bucs wide receiver Antonio Brown and safety Mike Edwards.

The Tampa Bay players were suspended for the next three games. Free agent John Franklin III, if signed by a club, is also ineligible to play in the next three games, said the NFL in a news release.

All three players accepted the discipline and waived their right of appeal. The suspensions are effective immediately.

The NFL Players Association represented the three players during a joint NFL-NFLPA review into recent allegations that the players misrepresented their vaccination status under the NFL-NFLPA COVID-19 protocols. The review supported the allegations against them.

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," the two organizations said in a joint statement.

Prior to the start of the season, Bucs head coach Bruce Arians announced that all Bucs players were vaccinated.

However, last month, allegations surfaced that Brown had paid to obtain a fake vaccination card.

In response to the allegations against Brown, the Bucs released a statement, saying, “After an extensive educational process conducted throughout our organization this past off-season 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 the league policy. All vaccination cards were reviewed by Buccaneers personnel and no irregularities were observed.”

The Bucs were quick to react to Thursday's announcement by the NFL-NFLPA, saying, "We appreciate the league's timely handling of this matter and recognize the importance of the healthy and safety protocols that have been established. We will continue to implement all league COVID-19 protocols."

Brown has been on the Bucs injury list for the past eight games due to an ankle injury. The last game he played was the Oct. 3 game against the New England Patriots.

Edwards missed last week's game against the Indianapolis Colts due to a groin injury and was placed on this week's injury list for a knee injury.

The Bucs will face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday followed by the Buffalo Bills Dec. 12 and the New Orleans Saints Dec. 19.