NFL suspends Evans one game for dead-ball hit on Lattimore

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans has been suspended one game for his role in the fight that broke out between his team and the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

Evans will miss this week's showdown with the Green Bay Packers - a rematch of the 2021 NFC Championship game.

The suspension was issued by NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan.

“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 confrontatio," Runyan wrote. "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.”

Evans was considered a repeat offender after being suspended in 2017 for a similar incident. That suspension also came as a result of a dead-ball scuffle with Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore.

On Sunday, Evans knocked Lattimore to the turf as the cornerback was jawing with Buccaneers star Tom Brady.

“It was a cheap shot,” Saints running back Mark Ingram said of Evans' hit on Lattimore. “For you to come in and blindside somebody, I mean, I don’t understand what you’re supposed to do? If somebody comes and just cheap-shots you, nobody respects that. ... As a man, as a player, you’ve got to be able to defend yourself in some form.”

Evans defended his actions after the win, stating he thought he saw Lattimore throw a punch. 

“I wasn’t going to let that happen,” Evans said. “We got each others' back.”

Lattimore was also ejected from Sunday's game, which was tied 3-3 when the scuffle broke out. The Buccaneers went on to win it 20-10. 

“The officials had flags for both of those players,” NFL senior vice president of officiating Walt Anderson said. “We actually reviewed those actions and determined that the actions by both of those players did rise to the level of flagrant and then therefore 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.

Bucs coach Todd Bowles said he hoped Evans would not be suspended this time.

“We will see what happens with the league, but I haven’t seen the tape,” Bowles said. “It’s an emotional game. You don’t want punches thrown on either side and I’m sure their coach is saying the same thing. Things happen. We don’t need anyone thrown out of the ballgame.

“We try to be a disciplined ballclub, but every now and then the game gets emotional and out of hand,” Bowles added. “We will make our corrections and move forward.”