Bucs Gameday

NFL investigating allegation that refs asked Mike Evans for autograph

The incident occurred following Tampa Bay's loss to Carolina.

Dustin Lewis

In this story:

Sunday afternoon was a strange one for Tampa Bay and it wasn't just because the Buccaneers were upset by the Carolina Panthers, 21-3. The loss marked the fourth in the last five games for the franchise and the first divisional defeat this season.

The oddness continued into postgame. As teams went back to their respective locker rooms following the contest, star wide receiver Mike Evans appeared to be approached by two officials - identified as side judge Jeff Lamberth and line judge Tripp Sutter - with a pen and paper. One of the referees even called out to Evans to get his attention leading up to the incident.

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The moment was captured on video by Panthers Beat Writer, Sheena Quick, who took the footage from a tunnel inside Bank of America Stadium. A second video from Quick appeared to show Evans signing something as Lamberth stood next to him. Around the scene, Buccaneers' players and staff piled into the visiting locker room.

On Monday, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that the league is reviewing the incident to determine if something illicit occurred. According to Pelissero, The NFL-NFLRA CBA specifically says game officials “shall not… ask players, coaches or any other team personnel for autographs or memorabilia.”

Check out the footage below for yourself.

If the officials did truly ask Evans for an autograph, their favoritism didn't play over onto the football field. The Buccaneers failed to score a touchdown in a game for the first time this season and were flagged four times for 30 yards compared to Carolina's three penalties for 15 yards.

Simply put, veteran officials like Lamberth (21st season) and Sutter (4th season) should know to use better discretion. There's no excuse for a mistake like this and it'll be interesting to see how the NFL operates. As of now, it's not clear what type of punishment the two could receive.

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Dustin Lewis
DUSTIN LEWIS

Lewis joined BucsGameday when it was founded in 2022. He's also the Editor-In-Chief of NoleGameday. A graduate of Florida State, Lewis has worked for NG since 2016.