Buc accused of fake vaccine card

TAMPA, Fla. — A Los Angeles chef who told a newspaper that Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Antonio Brown obtained a fake COVID-19 vaccination card also said the player owes him $10,000.

The Tampa Bay Times reported Thursday that Steven Ruiz provided the newspaper with a screenshot of a July 2 text message exchange in which Brown’s girlfriend asked the former live-in chef if he could obtain Johnson & Johnson vaccination cards for the player.

When the personal chef replied he could try, the girlfriend responded “Ab said he would give you $500.”

Ruiz, who also claimed Brown owes him an uncollected debt of $10,000, told the newspaper he was unable to find a vaccination card for Brown.

The chef added that a few weeks later he observed two vaccine cards on a dining room table that the receiver told him were purchased for the player and his girlfriend.

The Buccaneers announced shortly before the start of the regular season that their entire roster and coaching staff were fully vaccinated. They issued this statement in response to the Times report:

“After an extensive educational process conducted throughout our organization this past offseason 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 league policy,” the statement read. “All vaccination cards were reviewed by Buccaneers personnel and no irregularities were observed.”

PANTHERS: Quarterback Cam Newton said that he and the Panthers would give away 50 game tickets for Sunday’s home game vs. Washington to people who either haven’t been to a game or have rarely been to a game.