Mike Evans had a day to forget against the Carolina Panthers, but a moment in the tunnel after the game caught the NFL’s eye.
The league reviewed an interaction between Evans and two game officials who appeared to ask for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver’s signature following Sunday’s contest in Carolina, but found no evidence that they were requesting an autograph. They will not be disciplined.
“After speaking with the individuals involved, we have confirmed that the postgame interaction between Jeff Lamberth, Tripp Sutter, and Mike Evans did not involve a request by the game officials for an autograph,” the league said in a statement. “Both Lamberth and Sutter have been reminded of the importance of avoiding even the appearance of impropriety when interacting with players, coaches, and club staff on gameday -- including during the pregame and postgame time periods.”
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Check out the video of the exchange below:
The collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the NFL Referees Association states that game officials “shall not … ask players, coaches or any team personnel for autographs or memorabilia.”
Side judge Jeff Lamberth and line judge Tripp Sutter were the referees involved. Lambreth has been an NFL official since 2002 and has officiated 19 Bucs games in his career. Sutter joined the league in 2019 and has now worked six Bucs games.
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According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, Lambreth was getting Evans' phone number to pass it along to a golf pro to give Evans lessons. Lamberth didn’t have paper, so he borrowed it from Sutter. Evans and Lambreth both attended Texas A&M.
Evans’ biggest moment on the field against the Panthers came in the opening minutes when he dropped a would-be touchdown from Tom Brady. The Bucs failed to score a touchdown and wound up losing 21-3.