Tampa Bay Buccaneers Wide Receiver Mike Evans' One-Game Suspension Is Upheld, Will Miss Sunday's Game Against the Jets
Last Sunday's game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New Orleans Saints was truly an eventful matchup with Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston instigating a fight with Saints rookie cornerback Marshon Lattimore by poking him in the back of the helmet.
What Winston did probably wasn't enough to cause a fight, but out of nowhere, Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans came flying in and blindsided Lattimore after he shoved Winston. All hell broke loose and Evans appeared to throw a couple of punches at Lattimore before they were separated.
Interestingly, the officials did not throw Evans out of the game, but the National Football League (NFL) wasn't going to let him get away with it and he was suspended for one game without pay for his actions.
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Evans appealed the ruling, but the one-game suspension was upheld by appeals officer James Thrash. That means the wide receiver will not be available when the Buccaneers take on the New York Jets this Sunday.
"I want to sincerely apologize for my actions during Sunday's game. I saw my quarterback getting shoved and I let my emotions get the better of me," Evans said in a statement following the ruling, via NFL.com. "My response was not appropriate and not a true indication of who I am as a player and a person. I take pride in playing the game the right way and I realize it was unprofessional and hurt my team," he continued.
Well, fans didn't really expect Evans to win his appeal anyway because he was clearly in the wrong.
Winston has also apologized for the part he played in the altercation, and he should consider himself lucky he wasn't suspended as well.
"My competitive nature [took over]. Obviously I can't come off the field and make any gesture towards an opponent, let alone touch them," Winston said, via ESPN.
