TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans has been suspended without pay for one game for his role in a brawl at the end of Tampa Bay's 20-10 win at the New Orleans Saints.
The NFL announced the suspension Monday, one day after Evans was ejected for running onto the field at the Caesars Superdome and knocking Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore to the turf.
It marked the second time that Evans has been tossed from a game for flattening Lattimore in New Orleans.
Jon Runyan, the NFL's vice president of football operations, issued the suspension for violations of unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct rules.
It started in the fourth quarter after a third-down incomplete pass led Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady to shout at Lattimore. As Lattimore responded, running back Leonard Fournette stepped in and shoved Lattimore, who shoved Fournette back.
That's when Evans ran onto the field from the near sideline and sent Lattimore to the ground. Lattimore was also ejected.
Here's what Runyan wrote in his disciplinary letter to Evans:
"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 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 Tampa Bay's Sept. 25 Monday night home game against the Green Bay Packers. He'll be eligible to return to the active roster the day after the game.
