Bucs’ Brown, 2 others suspended over COVID

Antonio Brown and two other NFL players have been suspended immediately for three games by the league for violating COVID-19 protocols.

The Tampa Bay wide receiver and teammate Mike Edwards were suspended Thursday. Free agent John Franklin III, if signed by a team, is also ineligible to play in the next three games.

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

The NFL Players Association, which developed the protocols along with the league, represented the three players during a review of the recent allegations that players misrepresented their vaccination status. Brown, Edwards, a cornerback, and Franklin, a defensive back who last played for the Bucs in 2019, were found in violation of the protocols.

“The health and safety of players and personnel is our top priority,” the NFL and NFLPA said in a joint statement. “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.”

GIANTS’ KITCHENS SETTLES INTO OFFENSIVE DUTIES >>

Joe Judge isn’t making the Miami Dolphins guess about who will be calling the offensive plays for the New York Giants this weekend.

Former Cleveland Browns coach Freddie Kitchens handled the role against the Eagles after Jason Garrett was fired last week, and he’s going to have the headset Sunday when the Giants (4-7) visit the Dolphins (5-7) to kick off a two-game road trip.

While the Giants were limited to 264 yards in a 13-7 win over Philadelphia, Kitchens felt the play calling went smoothly.

One distinct change was seeing quarterback Daniel Jones wearing a wristband for the first time in his three NFL seasons. It allows Kitchens to say a number over his headset and Jones just looks at a corresponding play on the wristband.

The quarterback calls the play, gets the team out of the huddle quickly, then he has more time to look at the defense and change the call, if necessary.

“I think he saw the benefits of it,” Kitchens said Thursday to the media.