NFL issues statement on exchange between Mike Evans, officials

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

An exchange on Sunday between Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Mike Evans and two officials raised some serious questions, but the NFL says it was not what it looked like.

A video that went viral on social media showed two NFL officials — side judge Jeff Lamberth and line judge Tripp Sutter — tracking down Evans in the tunnel after Tampa Bay’s 21-3 loss to the Carolina Panthers. One of the refs yelled to Evans before handing him a piece of paper and a pen. Evans appeared to write something on the paper, and many people speculated that he was giving an autograph. You can see the video here.

The NFL investigated the exchange and released a statement on Tuesday. Apparently whatever Evans was writing was not an autograph. Though, the league did not explain what was going on.

Statement from the NFL saying it has spoken with the officials involved in the postgame interaction with Mike Evans and confirmed they were not, in fact, asking for an autograph. https://t.co/UQGJMFvhqp pic.twitter.com/DJZ24up1wL

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 25, 2022

The collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and NFL Players Association prohibits officials from asking any member of a team for autographs or memorabilia. That is why the league investigated the interaction.

One thing is for sure — the Bucs did not benefit from any favorable treatment in their loss to the Panthers. They played their worst game of the season and were blown out despite being a 13-point favorite.