Tampa Buccaneers Wide Receiver's Suspension Upheld

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be without one of their cornerstones for their massive Week 3 matchup against the Green Bay Packers. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports the NFL upheld its suspension of wide receiver Mike Evans following his appeal.

The NFL upheld Mike Evans’ one-game suspension for hitting Saints’ CB Marshon Lattimore. Evans is now officially out for Sunday’s game vs. the Green Bay Packers.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 21, 2022

Evans was ejected during the fourth quarter of the Bucs' Week 2 20-10 win over the New Orleans Saints for his role in a fracas involving Saints cornerback Marson Lattimore. Evans was promptly suspended one game. It was a repeat offense: Evans was also suspended in 2017 for a brawl with Lattimore. So, there's a lot of bad blood there.

Evans has been a leader and star for the Bucs since being drafted seventh overall in 2014. He became the first wide receiver in NFL history to open his career with eight straight 1000-yard seasons in 2021, and he has earned four Pro Bowls while tallying 9301 receiving yards and 75 touchdowns so far in his career. With the Bucs already down Julio Jones and Chris Godwin last week with no indication they'll be ready for Week 3, the team could be perilously thin at wide receiver when they host the Packers on Sunday. Thankfully, they have the league's top-ranked scoring defense to rely on.