A fight emerged between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and host New Orleans Saints early in the fourth quarter Sunday afternoon.
After a third-down pass incompletion, Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore began to jaw at Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, with running back Leonard Fournette pushing Lattimore away and Lattimore pushing back. Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans joined the fray, shoved and leveled Lattimore, and engaged with other Saints before the dust settled.
Evans and Lattimore were ejected with 12:49 left in the game.
Evans led Tampa Bay with three receptions for 61 yards before his disqualification. Lattimore recorded two tackles and a pass breakup.
“I was just trying to have my teammate’s back,” Evans said. “All I seen was him punch somebody in the face, and I said, ‘I ain’t going to let that happen.'”
Evans was suspended for one game in 2017 for shoving Lattimore during a game. He said after the game that he wasn’t concerned the NFL might suspend him again.
“In 2017, I didn’t even get ejected, and that was really a cheap shot. This wasn’t,” he said. “He punched my teammate in the face, and I just pushed him on the ground.”
At the time of the ejection, the Saints and Buccaneers were tied at 3-3. The Buccaneers went on to win, 20-10.
–Field Level Media
