The Facts: Brown has been suspended three games for violating the NFL-NFLPA COVID-19 protocols, the league announced Thursday.

Diehards Line: The league and players' union found that Brown was among three players who misrepresented their vaccination statuses. A former personal chef of Brown's said earlier this month that the wide receiver had obtained a fake COVID-19 vaccination card over the summer. Brown's suspension is without pay. He will be eligible to return to the Buccaneers' lineup for the team's Dec. 26 game against the Carolina Panthers. The NFL and NFLPA negotiated the length of the suspension ahead of Thursday's announcement, sources told ESPN's Dan Graziano. Brown is now vaccinated and admitted no wrongdoing to the league in the investigative process, a source told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. The league's investigation found that Brown brought a fake vaccination card with him to training camp, but shortly after he arrived someone told him having one could get him in trouble, so he made the decision to get vaccinated, sources told Graziano. Brown's attorney, Sean Burstyn, said in a statement that Brown "continues to support the vaccine for any person for whom it is appropriate."