New allegation.

Boy, this is starting to get thick and rich.

Steven Ruiz, the (former?) personal chef of Antonio Brown, who told the Tampa Bay Times this week that the model girlfriend of Brown asked him to find a fake V-card for Brown so he could ostensibly skirt NFL protocols for The Sickness, now has gone to the four-letter to make a wild accusation.

This all began when Ruiz, who claims Brown owes him $10,000, turned to the Tampa Bay Times to sing how Brown’s girlfriend approached him to obtain a fake V-card.

Not only would using a fake V-card be a violation of the NFL’s COVID protocol policy established in association with the NFLPA, but it’s also a federal offense.

Ruiz tells Jenna Laine of ESPN that Brown eventually obtained a fake V-card from a current or former Bucs teammate who was selling them.

“He got them from another player who was selling them,” said Ruiz, who declined to name the player. “That player came over to the house multiple times. He had to get another copy of Cyd’s [Brown’s girlfriend, the model Cydney Moreau] vaccine card because they got her birthday wrong on the first one.”

Ruiz then said, for now, he’s keeping the identity of the unnamed player allegedly selling fake V-cards confidential.

“I’m gonna sit on it for a little while,” Ruiz said. “The truth will eventually come out. If this does become a bigger and deeper investigation to follow the NFL — just to get into legal terms — this will all come to light.”

Joe has to call it like he sees it. On face value, this Ruiz seems like a sleazy guy. First he claimed he couldn’t afford a lawyer to try to get his owed money from Brown — has anyone seen an invoice of any sort from Ruiz? — when there are all sorts of lawyers who would likely represent the guy pro bono given the public nature of the grievance. Now he’s making an outlandish claim but won’t offer up the goods until, perhaps, this issue somehow ends up in court.

Does Ruiz somehow think he’s going to be caught in a legal web as an accessory — provided you believe him in the first place?

Further, of all people to reach out to in order to get paid by Brown, Ruiz seeks the help of a Hollywood sex tape broker.

This almost has the feel to Joe that Blatt/Ruiz is trying to put together some sort of lurid documentary they hope to sell to an online outfit (Netflix/Amazon/Apple TV) or perhaps E! Network. And that this fake V-card allegation is only the tip of the iceberg into Brown’s private life.

If Ruiz is indirectly trying to squeeze the Bucs (wink, wink) to pressure Brown to pay his alleged debt to Ruiz, which is basically what he attempted to do when Blatt intervened with the Bucs’ legal counsel, why not spill all the beans?

Joe has a hunch NFL investigators will be visiting One Buc Palace sometime after the Thanksgiving holiday, if not before.

Also in Laine’s article, Brown’s lawyer claims Brown will be happy to get a booster shot live on TV to prove he’s been vaccinated.

Based on details from the website of Chicago defense attorney Steven Fine, below are the federal penalties and possible legal ramifications for using a fake V-card:

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said that creating or purchasing a fake vaccine card is a federal crime, which carries a maximum prison sentence of five years and/or a fine not exceeding $5,000. Yet, there are various federal crimes associated with using fake cards.

Other common types of federal crimes involving using fake COVID-19 vaccination cards include:

* Wrongfully using or misrepresenting a government seal, punishable by imprisonment for five years and/a fine of up to $5,000.

* Wire fraud, which carries a prison term of up to 20 years.

* Embezzlement and theft of public records, punishable by imprisonment for up to ten years.

How is your Friday evening going?