Here’s the full release on the three-game suspensions of #Bucs WR Antonio Brown and S Mike Edwards and free agent John Franklin III, who have waived their rights to appeal and will begin serving their suspensions immediately. pic.twitter.com/UHsZwYBdCP
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 2, 2021
Well, well, well, if it isn’t the consequences of someone’s actions catching up to them: the NFL announced Thursday that Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown was suspended for the next three games after violating NFL-NFLPA COVID-19 protocols, following an earlier report from the Tampa Bay Times in which Brown was accused of falsifying his vaccination status in official documents submitted to the league office.
Brown and his Buccaneers teammate Mike Edwards were both suspended following an investigation; another player, John Franklin III, joined Tampa Bay for training camp but was released and remains a free agent. He’ll have to serve his own three-game suspension if signed by a new team.
This means neither Brown nor Edwards will be available when their team hosts the New Orleans Saints in Week 15. And that’s significant for a Buccaneers team hoping to go win another Super Bowl title, even if Brown hadn’t played well against the Saints (totaling 4 catches for 41 yards on 8 targets in two games last year). Edwards is more of a part-time player, though he did bag one of his six career interceptions off of Drew Brees in last season’s playoff game.
