Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans has been slapped with a one-game suspension by the NFL for his role in a mass brawl, meaning he will miss this Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers.
Both benches cleared during the brawl, which started after Tom Brady and Leonard Fournette got into a heated verbal exchange with New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore following a play.
Evans, who was on the sideline when the incident first occurred, sprinted over and flattened Lattimore by pushing him over with both hands, leading to a full-blown fistfight breaking out. Both Evans and Fournette were ejected from the game for their role in the fracas.
The Bucs ace was then filmed explaining himself to the referee, saying: "That's Tom Brady, what do you expect me to do?" Speaking after the game, Evans doubled-down on his reasoning that he was simply defending his team-mates.
He also took aim at Fournette for taking the game too personally, saying: "Super competitive. Today, he was just too emotional. You don’t throw punches at guys on the field. He threw a punch at Lenny, and I can’t let that happen to my teammates. So I shoved him… turned into a brawl."
The Bucs managed to see out the game without Evans, winning 20-10 to continue their perfect start to the new NFL season. It was the first time Brady has beaten the Saints since he left the New England Patriots for the Bucs in 2019.
But the NFL decided on Monday evening that the wide receiver had been banned for one game for his role in the brawl, citing unnecessary roughness. No other suspensions will be handed out for the incident, according to the NFL Network.
NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan wrote: "After a play had ended, you were walking towards 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.
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.
