NFL suspends wide receiver Evans after fight

The NFL suspended Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans one game for his fight with New Orleans Saints corner Marshon Lattimore during Sunday’s game.

Evans can appeal the suspension in accordance with the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement. If he appeals, the hearing will be before Derrick Brooks or James Thrash, who were jointly appointed by the league and the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) to resolve appeals of on-field player punishments.

If Evans’ suspension stands, he will miss the Buccaneers’ season opener at home on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. The Buccaneers are currently dealing with multiple injuries to their receiving corps and on Sunday played without Chris Godwin and Julio Jones.

This is the second time Evans has been suspended for an incident with Lattimore. He was also suspended in 2017 when he ran onto the field and shoved Lattimore in the back.

Evans said after the Buccaneers’ 20-10 win over the Saints that he wasn’t worried about a suspension for Sunday’s altercation in which he ran onto the field, shoving Lattimore and knocked him to the ground. That sparked a multi-player brawl.

“After the play was over, you were walking to your dugout. When you realized that your teammates were confronting Saints players, you ran toward that area of the field and violently threw your body and struck an unsuspecting opponent who was part of that confrontation,” NFL vice president of soccer operations Jon Runyan wrote in his letter to Evans, informing him of the suspension. “You tackled your opponent to the ground and a confrontation ensued involving players from both teams. Your aggressive conduct could have resulted in serious injury to your opponent and clearly does not reflect the high standards of sportsmanship expected of a professional.”

No other players were suspended by the NFL on Monday.