TAMPA, Fla. — Editor's note: The video in the player above is from when the NFL suspended Antonio Brown and Mike Edwards for misrepresenting their vaccination status.
Three weeks after wide receiver Antonio Brown and safety Mike Edwards were suspended without pay by the NFL for misrepresenting their COVID-19 vaccination status, the Buccaneers are ready to welcome them back.
"It's in the best interest of our football team. Both those guys served their time and, uh, we'll welcome them back," head coach Bruce Arians said during post-game media availability.
Just before kickoff against the Saints Sunday night, Buccaneers' general manager Jason Licht had announced the two players' return on the Buccaneers Radio Network. Several media outlets quote Licht saying, "We look forward to having them back with the team."
Brown and Edwards' return comes at a time when the Bucs are hurting — literally. Arians says the reigning Super Bowl champs lost about seven starters to injuries in its defeat by the Saints.
The initial suspensions came as a result of a league review that found Brown, Edwards, and a third player, free agent John Franklin III, misrepresented their vaccination status in violation of COVID-19 protocols. The review stemmed from a report by Rick Stroud at the Tampa Bay Times, who recently published an article in which Brown's former live-in chef accused him of getting a fake vaccine card.
"The health and safety of players and personnel is our top priority. 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," read a league statement at the time.
Brown's lawyer, Sean Burstyn, who previously denied the Times' report, maintains that the Bucs wide receiver is vaccinated, and he "continues to support the vaccine for any person to whom it is appropriate."
"The NFL made its determination and instead of going through the drawn-out and distracting process of challenging the outcome, Mr. Brown wrapped this up promptly and he will make this most of this time by treating his ankle injury," Burstyn said.
Before the suspensions, the Buccaneers had released a statement saying personnel had previously reviewed vaccination cards from all players and that "no irregularities were observed." The NFL will not fine the Bucs for the subsequent revelations.
Arians who previously said the suspensions "pissed [him] off" also encouraged the NFL to look across the league for similar cases seen with the Bucs.
"There's a lot more to the story," Arians told reporters earlier this month, according to ESPN. "I just hope they don't stop looking."
10 Tampa Bay has reached out to Brown's lawyer for comment. This story will be updated once we hear back.
You can listen to Arians full post-game media availability below: