Mike Evans suspended 1 game for defending Tom Brady, igniting fight with Saints

BOSTON -- Pro Bowl Bucs receiver Mike Evans said Sunday afternoon that he wasn't worried about a potential suspension for his on-field altercation with Marshon Lattimore. Turns out, Evans was a bit too optimistic.

The NFL announced Monday that Evans has been suspended for one game for his role in the on-field scuffle on Sunday, a fight that started with some verbal barbs being thrown between Lattimore and Tom Brady.

"After a play had ended, you were walking toward your sidelines," NFL VP of football operations Jon Runyan wrote in a letter to Evans. "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."

As a result, the Buccaneers will be without Evans on Sunday when they face the Green Bay Packers in Tampa.

Both Evans and Lattimore were ejected from Sunday's game, and this was not their first tango. The two fought on the field last year, which was the renewal of bad blood from 2017, when Evans was suspended for hitting Lattimore from behind while the Saints cornerback was engaged in a confrontation with then-Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston.

"It gets spicy when you come to New Orleans," Evans said after Sunday's win.

"All I seen was, I know we were like trying to get a flag called or whatever, and it wasn't called. And then all I see is Lattimore like punching Lenny in the face or something like that, and then like pushed Tom, that's all I see. So I just pushed him."

Evans was asked about his concern over a potential suspension.

"No, no, no. That was ... in 2017, I didn't even get ejected. That was really a cheap shot. This wasn't," Evans argued. "He punched my teammate in the face, and I just pushed him on the ground."

Slow-motion video of Evans pleading his case to the on-field officials seemed to show Evans yelling, "It's Tom Brady -- what do you want me to do?!"

The Buccaneers were already without Chris Godwin (hamstring) and Julio Jones (knee) on Sunday when Evans was ejected with 12:55 left in the fourth quarter. Brady was able to connect with Breshad Perriman for a touchdown later in the fouth quarter, and a pick-six by the Tampa defense against Winston allowed Tampa Bay to win, 20-10.

Tom Brady and the 2-0 Bucs hosting Aaron Rodgers and the 1-1 Packers is in the late-afternoon window in Week 3, as a marquee matchup. Monday's decision by the league, though, certainly cuts into the some of the star power that was expected to be present when the schedule was made.

A Pro Bowler for the fourth time last season, Evans has eight receptions for 132 yards and a touchdown thus far in 2022.