The NFL announced Monday that Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans will be suspended for one game without pay following Sunday’s brawl in New Orleans. In the NFL’s statement on the suspension, the league cited “unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct.”
The decision comes after the physical altercation that occurred during the Buccaneers’ 20–10 win. Evans shoved Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore, who got in the face of Tom Brady and Leonard Fournette during Sunday’s contest.
After Lattimore shoved Fournette, Evans ran over and hit the Saints player. This caused both Lattimore and Evans to be ejected from the game.
NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan, who issued the suspension, noted this moment in the decision to suspend Evans. The wide receiver violated Rule 12, Section 2, Article 8(g) and Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1.
“After a play had ended, you were walking toward your sidelines,” Runyan said in the NFL statement. “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. 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 will miss next Sunday’s game vs. the Packers. He will be eligible to return to the roster on Monday, Sept. 26.
With the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, Evans plans to appeal the suspension, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
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