The Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans and the New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore, were ejected from the match following a physical fight. Both players were withdrew after being involved in an after-the-whistle brawl in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game in the Superdome.
Evans was ejected from a game in the dome for flattening Lattimore after the Saints’ top defensive back had been squabbling with another Buccaneers player for the second time since 2017. Although it took some time to resolve, Lattimore and Evans were ultimately dismissed and sent back to their respective locker rooms. The league office will undoubtedly impose fines and might hand out suspensions as well.
Bucs coach Todd Bowles on the fight today: "I didn't see the whole thing. I just saw a lot of pushing and shoving and flags flying. The next thing I know, everybody was storming the field. We lost a good player. They lost a good player. It was a physical ballgame."
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) September 18, 2022
After the game, the star wide receiver was questioned about the incident. “It gets spicy when you come to New Orleans,” Evans said. “And they’re a good team, physical team. We matched that today. … I know we were like trying to get a flag called or whatever, and then it wasn’t called. All I see is Lattimore punch (Fournette) in the face or something like that and then pushed Tom. That’s all I saw.”
Evans said he’s not worried about a potential suspension for the Bucs’ home opener against the Green Bay Packers next week. Evans watched the remainder of the game from the locker room. After the game, Lattimore was unavailable for comment, but over the years, he has made it obvious how he feels about Evans. Because they are frequently matched up against each other, they have grown to loathe one another and have frequently engaged in physical altercations.
Bucs coach Todd Bowles on the fight today: “I didn’t see the whole thing. I just saw a lot of pushing and shoving and flags flying. The next thing I know, everybody was storming the field. We lost a good player. They lost a good player. It was a physical ballgame.”
Prior to this incident, a similar incident occurred during a game in 2020, Lattimore shoved Evans in the back, in retaliation, Evans shoved him back and knocked his helmet off as teammates rushed over from both sides. Lattimore received a $10,500 fine for the incident’s unwarranted roughness.
