The National Football League (NFL) said in a statement on Tuesday that two-game officials, Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans, and two-game officials did not ask Evans to sign anything during their conversation after the game.
NFL Requested This Information
This information was provided in response to a question posed by the NFL. After the Buccaneers lost to the Carolina Panthers by a score of 21-3 on Sunday, Fox Sports was able to get the film showing side judge Jeff Lamberth and line judge Tripp Sutter shouting Evans’ name.
The game was completed. After then, Evans jotted down some notes on a card that they presented to him.
However, after talking to the people involved, the league reached the judgment that Lamberth and Sutter were not looking for a signature. This was the conclusion reached after consulting with the individuals involved.
The league did not provide any more information on the reason why they contacted Evans or the content of the conversation that they had with him. In response to a follow-up question, a representative for the National Football League (NFL) said that the league did not have any more statistics to share.
Evans said on Tuesday to the press that he was not signing his signature at the moment that is being questioned. Evans responded by saying, “I’ll tell you that much.” “Since we are all made of flesh and blood, the authorities that I consult are not an exception to this rule.
We decided to have a conversation about golf since he is such a wonderful guy. That was the only subject that was brought up throughout our conversation.”
In A Report on Tuesday, NFL Network Said That Lamberth
It was claimed on Tuesday by NFL Network that Lamberth, who attended Texas A&M University at the same time as Evans, was interested in collecting the receiver’s contact information to offer Evans golfing instruction from a professional.
According to NFL Network, Lamberth was unable to complete the assignment because he did not have a card with him on which Evans could write his number. As a result, he had to borrow a card from Sutter to do it.
The National Football League did not mention any type of punishment for either of the officials in their statement; however, the league did add the following:
“Both Lamberth and Sutter have been reminded of the importance of avoiding even the appearance of impropriety when interacting with players, coaches, and club staff on gameday including during the pregame and postgame periods.”
Both Lamberth and Sutter have been reminded of how important it is to prevent even the impression of improper behavior while engaging with players, coaches, and other personnel in the organization.
A request for a response was addressed in the direction of the NFLRA; however, they did not react right away.
Finishing Line
According to the terms of the collective bargaining agreement between the National Football League and the NFL Referees Association, game officials are not permitted to approach players or coaches to ask for signatures.
This is because doing so creates the appearance of favoritism and violates the terms of the agreement.
Whenever officials make requests for autographs or other memorabilia in connection with charitable purposes, the requests are required to be submitted to the officiating department of the league for processing.
While Sutter is playing in the NFL for the fourth time, Lamberth is playing in the league for the 21st time.
