Buccaneers receiver, Mike Evans, told ESPN he plans on making amends for the blindside hit on Saints rookie cornerback Marshon Lattimore.
In a report by Jenna Laine, the Buccaneers star receiver not only immediately felt bad for the incident when it took place, but has also admired how the first-year pro has been able to work his way into a Pro Bowl selection this season.
For those who don’t remember, in Week 9 quarterback Jameis Winston came off the sideline and poked Lattimore in the back of his helmet. Winston later stated he was telling the rookie to get back onto his sideline.
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When Lattimore took exception to Winston’s actions, he turned and pushed the Bucs quarterback, which resulted in Evans landing a blindside blow to Lattimore’s back.
The move drew a penalty, a one game suspension for the wide receiver, and a fine for Winston.
While it was in an effort to defend his teammate from a perceived attack, there is no question the actions by Evans were overly dangerous and uncalled for.
His immediate remorse for the action helps to show the character of Evans who admitted he got carried away “in the heat of the moment”.
Planning to apologize in person during Week 17, shows how seriously this Buccaneers cornerstone takes his position and the NFL fraternity.
It will be an interesting weekend match-up between these two division rivals, not just because of the incident which occurred, but what else is at stake.
On the surface, the Saints have yet to seal the division title, and can do so with a win this Sunday.
For Evans, per Kevin Patra of NFL.com, he is just 54-yards from joining Randy Moss and A.J. Green as the only receivers in NFL history to amass 1,000-yards receiving in each of their first four seasons.
I don’t know if Lattimore is looking for retribution, but keeping Evans off the list would probably help heal any hurt feelings lingering in the rookie’s mind.
At the end of the day, it’s nice to see Evans extending the olive branch, but these two have a lot more history to make against each other. It should be fun to watch, to say the least.
What do you think about Evans’ plans to apologize to Lattimore? Do you think the Buccaneers receiver owes him anything further?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments, on Facebook, or on Twitter. Thanks for reading!
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