Antonio Brown Returns to the Tampa Bay Bucs Following Intense COVID-19 Scandal

Following a three-game suspension for allegedly obtaining a fake COVID-19 vaccination card, Antonio Brown will be returning to the field to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Brown’s relationship with Tampa Bay is complicated, to say the least. Initially, in March of 2020, Tampa Bay’s head coach Bruce Arians was deadset on avoiding signing the 33-year-old to his team.

Considering his allegations of sexual misconduct and a detailed list of questionable off-field activities, Arians’ thoughts on the wide receiver were not terribly positive.

“Yeah, it’s not gonna happen,” the head coach said in reference to signing Brown to Tampa Bay. In March of 2020, he shared, “I just know him and it’s not a fit in our locker room.”

However, legendary quarterback Tom Brady, insisted that Brown deserved to be a part of the team. Knowing that Brady’s word was substantial, the athlete was offered a one-year deal with the Buccs to which Arians commented, “He screws up one time, he’s gone.”

And, for the most part, he was behaving positively for the majority of last season. He seemed to fit right into Tampa Bay’s space and even went on to score a touchdown during the Super Bowl. Yet, things shifted gears for Brown when he was accused by his former live-in chef of obtaining a fake COVID-19 vaccination card.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians shares current opinions on Antonio Brown

When the world caught wind of this accusation, the NFL launched an in-depth investigation into false vaccination statuses. Although they deemed that nothing was out of the ordinary, Brown and two others faced a three-game suspension for having “misrepresented their vaccine status under the NFL-NFLPA COVID-19 Protocols.”

Despite this seemingly large screw-up, Bruce Arians is more than willing to be giving his wide receiver a second chance. “Well, the history has changed since that statement,” the 69-year-old coach explained, according to ESPN. He went on to add, “A lot of things went on last year that I was very proud of him. And I made a decision that was best for our football team.”

In fact, Arians felt so strongly about keeping Brown on the Buccaneers that he used profanity. When asked about the public’s perception of the 33-year-old player, given his background and current COVID-19 scandal, the head coach acted defensively. “I could give a s— what they think. The only thing I care about is this football team … and what’s best for us,” he relayed.