"I think that's ridiculous": When Tom Brady sounded off on NFL's treatment of Mike Evans
Tom Brady played three seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2020-2022), where wide receiver Mike Evans was his top target. Evans got into an altercation against the New Orleans Saints which resulted in a suspension, and Brady publicly defended his teammate.
Speaking with Jim Gray on the Sirius XM podcast ‘Let’s Go!’ in September 2022, Brady sounded off on the suspension, which caused Evans to miss the game against the Green Bay Packers.
“I don’t think it deserved any type of suspension; I think that’s ridiculous. Hopefully we can move past it and get to a better place.”
The incident between Evans and Lattimore began after an incomplete pass in the fourth quarter. Evans, who was near the sideline, saw teammates Tom Brady and Leonard Fournette getting into it with the Saints' Lattimore and Marcus Maye. After Fournette and Lattimore exchanged shoves, Evans came speeding in and shoved Lattimore down, which sparked a bigger brawl.
In a letter about Evans' suspension, NFL VP of Football Operations Jon Runyan said Evans' actions could have caused serious injury and "does not reflect the high standards of sportsmanship expected of a professional."
This was the second such incident involving these two players; Evans was earlier suspended in 2017 too. He appealed the league's decision in the 2022 incident, but the suspension was upheld and he was forced to miss a game without pay.
Tom Brady appreciated Mike Evans for defending him
Tom Brady continued to show some empathy for his then-teammate as he felt that it was wrong to blame Evans for the entire situation. He also commended his teammate for sticking up for him.
“I think just sometimes the emotions get the best of us, and I love Mike. And the fact that Mike would come out there to defend me means everything in the world to me as a teammate and a friend,” Brady said.
“And Mike knows how I feel about him. So in the end, emotions are a part of sports. Sometimes they boil over, and they obviously did [Sunday], and it’s an unfortunate circumstance.”
The Bucs went on to beat the Saints, 20-10. Tom Brady went just 18-of-34 with 190 yards and one touchdown. Mike Evans had three catches for 61 yards.