Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans has been suspended for one game by the NFL for his actions during an on-field altercation between Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints players. Evans does have the right to appeal the suspension but Buccaneers Head Coach Todd Bowles, who learned of the league's decision shortly before his day-after-game press conference on Monday, says the team has to be prepared to face the Green Bay Packers on Sunday without their leading receiver.
"He'll have a one-game suspension," Bowles confirmed. "Like I said, the fighting alone, losing a player for the next game, it hurts our team because we lose a very good ballplayer. We don't want that, we don't condone it, and we've got to move forward and find a way to win without him. But that should be a lesson to all our other players."
The NFL ruled that Evans was "in violation of Rule 12, Section 2, Article 8(g) which prohibits 'unnecessarily running, diving into, cutting, or throwing the body against or on a player who is out of the play or should not have reasonably anticipated such contact by an opponent, before or after the ball is dead,' as well as Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1 which prohibits any act which is "contrary to the generally understood principles of sportsmanship."
Evans and Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore were ejected from the game after the altercation, which was sparked by shoving between Lattimore and Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette as Lattimore and Tom Brady exchanged words. Lattimore did not receive a suspension, nor did anyone else involved in the melee.
Evans was clearly coming to the protection of Brady but Bowles said that instinct needs to be expressed in a different manner.
"It's always a fine line," said the coach. "This is a controlled-agression game. It's a controlled-aggression game and you try to protect your teammate but you've got to do it the right way."
Bowles had a chance to review the television broadcast of the midfield melee after Sunday's game but it did not change his feelings about what transpired.
"It doesn't change my perspective," he said. "We don't want any fights in our game because if we lose a good player it doesn't help our team. So we don't condone that, we don't teach that, we don't want that in our game."
