TAMPA — Since news broke of the suspension of two Bucs players (and a former one) for using fake COVID-19 vaccination cards, cyberspace has become infested with double-standard allegations.

The outcries read like an algebra equation: Why doesn’t AR equal AB?

Or in simpler terms, why is Bucs receiver Antonio Brown serving a three-game suspension while Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers keeps flinging spirals in the NFC Central? Weren’t both found to have violated COVID-19 protocols agreed upon by the NFL and NFL Players Association?

Yes, but the circumstances differ. Considerably.

One (Rodgers) misled the media. The other (Brown) misled his employer, in a manner that could be subject to felony charges.

Rodgers, who tested positive for COVID-19 in early November, told reporters he was “immunized” when asked about his vaccination status over the summer but since has acknowledged being unvaccinated. In lieu of the vaccines (to which he said he’s allergic), he has received monoclonal antibodies and taken ivermectin to combat the virus, adding that he informed the NFL of his approach.

Aside from arriving mask-less at news conferences (a protocol violation for unvaccinated players), Rodgers said on The Pat McAfee Show that he has “followed every single protocol to a T, minus (the one regarding masks news conferences), which makes absolutely no sense to me.” Check out his interview, starting around the one-hour, eight-minute mark.

Still, the Packers were fined $300,000 for violating rules agreed upon by the NFL and NFLPA. Additionally, Rodgers and wide receiver Allen Lazard were fined $14,560 for attending a gathering of more than three people (in this case, a Halloween party), which violates protocols for unvaccinated players.

Brown, however, obtained and utilized a fake vaccination card (according to his former live-in chef) for the apparent purpose of bypassing league protocols. On Thursday, Brown, safety Mike Edwards and former Bucs receiver John Franklin III all were suspended three games without pay after an NFL probe deemed they “misrepresented their COVID-19 vaccination status.”

Using and/or selling fake vaccination cards is a felony subject to fines and up to five years in prison. Brown tested positive for COVID-19 early in the season, missing the Week 3 game against the Rams in Los Angeles.

Contact Joey Knight at jknight@tampabay.com. Follow @TBTimes_Bulls

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