Of course Alex Guerrero makes a cameo in Antonio Brown’s wild vaccine card story. The plot writes itself.
But is Guerrero’s role innocuous or nefarious?
Like so many outrageous stories involving Brown, the tale (as told to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times) begins with the bizarre wideout not paying somebody. Los Angeles chef Steven Ruiz says Brown owes him $10,000, making him at least the seventh chef, artist, wellness coach, fitness trainer, car detailer or pet store owner to publicly accuse Brown of stiffing them. And that’s not even including the moving truck incident. Brown is serving a two-year probation sentence after allegedly throwing rocks at a moving truck and refusing to cover the damage.
Anyway, Ruiz said Brown’s girlfriend, model Cydney Moreau, told him in a text message July 2 that Brown was willing to pay $500 if he could obtain a fake Johnson & Johnson vaccination card. While Ruiz said he was unable to purchase one, Brown showed him fake cards for himself and Moreau a couple of weeks later.
Enter Guerrero. That night, Ruiz, who said he prepared meals that strictly adhered to the TB12 Method, claims the pliability guru came over Brown’s house to help him recover him knee surgery. Guerrero also took a picture of Brown’s vaccination card, according to Ruiz.
Ruiz said he doesn’t think Guerrero knew the card was fake. Guerrero declined to comment for the story.
Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians has bragged about his team’s apparent 100% vaccination rate, but the league’s process for documenting vaccinations hardly seems foolproof. The NFL relies on each club to independently verify personnel and player vaccination status. WEEI’s Christian Fauria hypothesized about 15% of players could be lying about their vax status.
On Thursday, the Bucs unsurprisingly said they reviewed all of the cards and found “no irregularities.” Brown’s attorney said his client is vaxxed, and everybody should follow Brown’s lead and get inoculated themselves.
Guerrero’s involvement in this saga highlights his elevated status in the Bucs organization. Stroud reports the Buccaneers would sometimes enlist Guerrero and others on staff to photograph players’ cards and send them to head trainer Bobby Slater and their infection control officer (sounds scary).
Meanwhile, Bill Belichick kicked Guerrero off the sidelines and into Tom Brady’s suit during TB12’s final seasons with the Patriots.
The Buccaneers embraced Guerrero from day one, allowing him unfettered access to players and the team facility, reported CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora last September. Brady’s sway within the Bucs’ organization is apparent.
Antonio Brown is playing there, after all.
Guerrero’s history as a glorified snake-oil salesman who was reprimanded by the FTC for peddling a fake cancer cure naturally invites suspicion. At the least, it’s curious the Bucs reportedly tapped him to document players’ vaccination cards.
Guerrero isn’t a team employee.
But he is the perfect machiavellian sidekick. The casting in this movie is great.
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