Tampa Bay receiver Mike Evans chalked up his involvement in Sunday’s brawl between the Buccaneers and Saints to one specific reason: defending his quarterback.
During the afternoon chirp-fest between the NFC South rivals in New Orleans, Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore got into a shouting match with Tom Brady and Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette. As tensions continued to rise, Evans made his way to the field and shoved Lattimore, with the skirmish boiling over and both players being ejected.
Evans was seen speaking to the referees afterward, with the 29-year-old wideout appearing to explain his rationale as: “That’s Tom Brady, what do you want me to do?”
A short time after the Buccaneers secured a 20-10 victory over the Saints, Evans elaborated on his ejection to reporters in the locker room.
“It gets spicy when you come to New Orleans,” Evans said, per Sports Illustrated.
“All I see is Lattimore punching Lee [Fournette] in the face or something like that and then pushed Tom. That’s all I saw. I just pushed him.”
This isn’t the first time Evans and Lattimore have gotten into an on-field altercation. In 2017, then-Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston tapped Lattimore’s helmet after a play. Lattimore then pushed his now-teammate Winston, which led to Evans retaliating.
Evans doesn’t appear to be worried about a suspension, according to Pro Football Talk, but the league is expected to review the incident.