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When it was announced that, Black National Football League Wide Receiver, Antonio Brown would be suspended for three games Thursday, following the uncovering of his fake vaccination status, a debate arose around why white NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers didn't receive the same punishment for misleading the public on his vaccination status.
Last month, Brown's former chef accused Brown of obtaining a fake vaccination card in an effort to obscure the league's COVID-19 protocols which require players to reveal their vaccination status.
The NFL followed up on Brown's with an investigation leading to the suspension of Brown, backup Buccaneers safety Mike Edwards and free-agent wide receiver John Franklin III - all without pay.
—Don Lewis (@DonLew87) December 2, 2021
Many fans and critics debated whether racial bias was a factor on social media comparing Rodgers' punishment to Browns', pointed out the NFL's track record on race, leading them to call out racial bias.
Others reject that argument, noting what Brown did was a federal crime.
"Breaking: 'NFL suspends three players for violating Covid-19 protocols,'" legal consultant Don Lewis wrote on Twitter:
"None of them are Aaron Rodgers. Each [of] them are, well, check out the photo."
Patrick McDermott/Getty Images
Last month when Rodgers caught COVID-19 and it was revealed that he had not been vaccinated despite saying publicly and throughout the season suggesting he is "immunized," a debate emerged around the treatment he had received.
Rodgers had been given vaccination privileges by the Packers organization which included walking and meeting with the media, maskless. Unvaccinated players are required to be masked at all times, according to the league's COVID protocol for unvaccinated players.
He, and his teammate Allen Lazard, were later fined nearly $15,000 each for breaking COVID-19 protocol, the same amount Buffalo Bills receiver Isaiah McKenzie was fined for one infraction in August. The Packers were also fined $300,000 for allowing Rodgers and Lazard to break the league's protocol.
The debate between the treatment of Brown and Rodgers didn't end there with many people asking the question why was Rodgers let off so easy?
Critics point out the NFL's history with race and discrimination, and how Black players - especially quarterbacks - have been treated throughout the history of the NFL.
While white quarterbacks have been allowed to play since the start of the professional game in the 1920's – in the American Football League and the National Football League, it wasn't until 1968 when Marlin Briscoe - the first Black quarterback - took his first game snaps.
—Cedric Golden (@CedGolden) November 14, 2021
Over the years, some Black college quarterbacks have been told by NFL Executives they aren't intelligent enough to play the position.
Their speed and agility was seen as not compatible with the position which traditionally was reserved for white non-athletic players that could just stand in the pocket and throw the football.
That assertion has cost Black quarterbacks their jobs.
Many are also making comparisons between the in-game penalties Cam Newton received in his first game back with the Carolina Panthers — after being released from the New England Patriots in part for his COVID vaccination status — to Rodgers.
Others have argued, Rodgers never presented proof of vaccination or a vaccine card to the NFL. They knew the entire time Rodgers wasn't vaccinated.
While the Packers allowed Rodgers privileges, when the quarterback entered neutral spaces that weren't affiliated with the team he had to abide by unvaccinated protocol.
Brown, on the other hand, presented a fake card and was seen within the NFL and Buccaneers organization as being fully vaccinated - and was treated as such. With many saying what Brown did was worse since he broke the law.
Fox Sports analyst and NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe, and NFL Sports Columnist for USA Today, Mike Jones argued Friday the controversy isn't about race.
They say the suspension against Brown wasn't harsh enough.
"Once again, he has proven himself to be a selfish individual who doesn't believe rules or the law applies to him," Jones wrote. "This time, his decisions could have carried consequences that extended well beyond himself."
Sharpe went on to suggest Brown should have been suspended for eight games, while Jones says Brown should have been cut from the Buccaneers roster. Much of their critique lies in Brown's past of assault and sexual assault.
While many argue the discrepancy in quarterback punishment speaks to a larger trend in the NFL of racism toward Black players, others reject that premise saying the league does have issues on race, but not in the case of Brown or Rodgers.
From the lack of people of color at the helm of team ownership or operations, to the additional scrutiny Black quarterbacks are placed under, calls for a league wide racial reckoning continue with each high profile penalty or fine.
