TAMPA, Fla. — The National Football League announced Monday it has suspended Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans for 1 game for shoving the New Orleans Saints' Marshon Lattimore.
In a letter to Evans about the suspension, NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan wrote, "When you noticed your teammates engaged in a confrontation with Saints' players, you ran toward that area on the field and violently threw your body into and struck an unsuspecting opponent who was part of that confrontation."
Runyan continued, "Your aggressive conduct could have caused serious injury to your opponent and clearly does not reflect the high standards of sportsmanship expected of a professional."
Evans was ejected from the game for knocking down Lattimore, who was having words with Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady. Lattimore had also just shoved Bucs running back Leonard Fournette when Evans leveled the Saints cornerback.
As Lattimore hit the ground, Saints safety Marcus Maye tried to grab Evans. However, Evans slammed him to the turf as a swarm of players from both teams surrounded the situation.
Officials got together and decided to assess offsetting personal fouls on Evans and Lattimore and ejected both from the game.
NFL rules allow officials to look at replays to review “the potential for other players to be disqualified,” Anderson said when asked about Fournette's involvement. "We just did not feel like those actions rose to the level of disqualification.”
Lattimore and Evans have carried on a personal rivalry since 2017, when Lattimore was the defensive rookie of the year. During a Saints victory in New Orleans that season, an altercation began along the Tampa Bay sideline when then-Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston pointed in Lattimore's face and told him to go back to his own bench area.
That's when Evans blindsided Lattimore with a running start, knocking Lattimore hard to the turf. Only Evans was ejected that time. He also was suspended a subsequent game.
“We try to be a disciplined ballclub, but every now and then the game gets emotional and out of hand,” Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said. “We will make our corrections and move forward.”
If the Bucs lose Evans for any significant time, it will be a critical loss to an offense that is struggling to find an identity. The Bucs were without Chris Godwin and Julio Jones against the Saints and have gotten almost zero production from the tight end position.
