Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans has been suspended one game following Sunday’s fight with Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore.
The NFL announced the news on Monday, following Tampa Bay’s 20-10 win against New Orleans, saying Evans “violently threw [his] body and struck an unsuspecting opponent,” that being Lattimore. Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette was also involved in the altercation. Evans is appealing the suspension, according to multiple reports.
“After a play had ended, you were walking toward your sidelines. 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,” the NFL’s vice president of football operations Jon Runyan said in the statement.
“You knocked your opponent to the ground and a melee ensued involving players from both teams. 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.”
Mike Evans looks on after a fight with Marshon LattimoreGetty ImagesLattimore has not received a suspension as of Monday afternoon, and so far will be available for Sunday’s game against the Panthers.
There will be fines as per standard process for the others, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
“It hurts our team because we lose a very good ball player,” Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said Monday of Evans’ suspension. “We don’t want that we don’t condone it but we got to move forward and learn to win without him.”
Evans was previously suspended one game for a separate scuffle with Lattimore in 2017.
Evans and Lattimore will face each other again when the Buccaneers host the Saints on Dec. 5.
