Rashaan Evans Looks To Take Next Step in Career, Talks Social Issues During 'Sensitive Time'

Former Alabama linebacker Rashaan Evans is taking aim at becoming an All-Pro player for the Tennessee Titans, and the best of Sports Illustrated

Over the past few years, Alabama has completely changed the look and identity of the Tennessee Titans. 

While everyone knows about running back Derrick Henry, who won the NFL rushing title with 1,540 yards last season, linebacker Rashaan Evans has become a tackling machine. 

The No. 22 overall selection in 2018 is now targeting All-Pro status. 

"Those accolades that you just mentioned, All-Pro, Pro Bowl, being the leading tackler, all those other things are definitely something I definitely strive for, to just be the best at the things that I do," Evans said.

Evans participated in a virtual press conference with Titans media on Wednesday and here's some of what he said:

On areas he likes about his game and what he needs to improve:

"I would just say just my perseverance. Being able to fight through anything, whether it’s injuries, whether it’s anything that may be trying to cause me to not be at the best of my game. Just my perseverance and being able to just adapt. Any situation that you get put in in the NFL is something that you can’t train for, it’s something that just happens out of the blue, but being able to adapt, being able to do it on the run, I think that’s the main thing that I’ve been really proud of myself for. Then, just really as far as me, just continue to keep doing what I’ve been doing. Being a leader, doing all of the things as far as being in the locker room and encouraging younger guys to be the best players they can possibly be, continue to level up in that aspect, continue to do more and more and more while I’m there just to impact and help out as many people as I can and that I come across."

On what the offseason has been like:

"To be honest with you, the offseason has been amazing for me to be honest. I think the fact that I’ve had even more time just to be able to heal, to be able to work on the little things, to be able to work on those things – the normal time you would normally get, maybe four to five months that you would get annually each and every year has gotten lengthened because of the coronavirus. Not saying that the coronavirus that I want to happen every year, but I have gained some great things from just being (at home during) this virus. Being able to learn a lot more things than I would normally learn if it didn’t happen. I would just say just doing my regular workouts. I was still on the training list, I was still able to every now and then go in and out of the facility if I needed to. But other than that, I was really just quarantining just trying to keep myself as safe as possible."

Alabama Athletics

On what the team conversations surrounding social injustice have been like for him:

"I think the Zoom meetings have been amazing. To be able to have guys from all different races to be able to comment on something like that I think is a beautiful thing. I think it also opens up an opportunity for guys to be able to speak their minds, ‘What do you think about a situation like that? How do you think? What do you feel?’ For guys to be able to hear those things, you learn more about a guy when you hear certain things like that. I think too, it brings guys closer together to know that even outside with the outside stuff that was going on with George Floyd, which was causing even more separation … I feel like in a locker room situation where you’re on a virtual meeting it kind of brings everything back together. Just a simple plain balance understanding of preserving life, treating your neighbor as you want to be treated. To be able to have guys in the NFL to talk about those things, I think that’s just a big step for us in the future to be even more vocal for people like that have gone through that like George Floyd. I think it’s a good opportunity for the rest of the NFL to be able to not so much have the burden of having to be CNN or one of these media outlets, but at the same time, just bring some type of light to understand that there are fans that watch us. There are kids that watch us and they watch every move that we make. By us not bringing light to that, that could be something that would be detrimental to younger guys that may feel some type of way or something like that, or think that they don’t really know or understand what that situation was, or what happened, why it happened. For their favorite player to be able to speak on it and kind of bring it back to terms or bring it back to something that they could understand, I think it would be a beautiful thing for NFL players to be able to put some type of input or just do something like that to at least ease the things that have been going on."

On who he thinks needs to speak out against social injustice that hasn’t already:

"That’s a good question. It really would have to depend on it being genuine. I feel like if it’s not genuine there’s no need to come out, there’s no need to say anything. You get to a situation like this where it’s very serious, a guy lost his life off of a simple fact of a police officer not being, first of all, qualified to be able to do a job like that and to know to preserve life and him not taking that into consideration, it led to this outcome. Just the simple fact of if it’s not genuine, I don’t think anybody should come out. I think it should be more of people who are really truly wanting to make a change. People who are really truly understanding what is going on and the reason why players had kneeled at the time, the reason why people had brought protests all over the world globally. You don’t have to understand it, it should be in your best effort to at least learn about what’s going on before you do come out. Right now, is a sensitive time."

College Athletics

Experts say the wave of sports teams being eliminated this spring is exposing a collegiate model they believe is broken—and the short- and long-term consequences are significant.

"There’s nothing worse you can ever have to do than cut sports"

"It's concerning. College sports is our secret weapon in the U.S."

“Olympic sports are being sacrificed"

As sports team eliminations spike nationwide, the impact ranges from youth sports to the Olympics. Pat Forde and Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated look into the problems, the far-reaching ramifications and possible solutions. 

Sports Illustrated

Did You Notice?

• Adam Silver’s legacy as NBA commissioner is riding on the league’s return from the pandemic.

• Six rookies who will make an impact during the NBA’s return.

• Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury have agreed to fight two more times.

• LeBron James is leading a group of basketball stars forming an organization to protect black voting rights.

• NHL to open training camps on July 10 ahead of season restart.

• From the Carolina Panthers: "We were aware of the most recent conversation surrounding the Jerry Richardson statue and are concerned there may be attempts to take it down. We are moving the statue in the interest of public safety."

BREAKING: The Jerry Richardson statue is coming down. Charlotte DOT is about the close the road near Bank of America Stadium to allow the work to happen pic.twitter.com/WBagBz2i2p

— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) June 10, 2020

The Lighter Side 

• Luka Doncic “is not in the best shape” as the NBA gets set to resume, according to his trainer in Slovenia.

• The mom of the Mets’ first-round pick was in the 1994 movie Little Big League.

• The ultimate water hazard? 

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