On Sunday, Oct 23, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers surrendered a loss to the Carolina Panthers 21-3.
Following the game, side judge Jeff Lamberth and line judge Tripp Sutter approached Buccaneers’ star wide receiver Mike Evens for an autograph.
However, the investigation concluded that the officials did not request an autograph.
A statement from the league stated that, “After speaking with the individuals involved, we have confirmed that the postgame interaction between (side judge) Lamberth, (line judge) Sutter and Evans did not involve a request by the game officials for an autograph.”
“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 game day, including during the pregame and postgame time periods.”
Per the NFL media, this interaction post game all had to do with golf lessons. Evans and Lamberth both attended Texas A&M. The official proceeded to get Evans’ phone number to pass along to a golf pro so that the NFL superstar could get some lessons.
The NFL-NFLRA CBA (collective bargaining agreement) says game officials should not ask players, coaches or any other team personnel for autographs or memorabilia. You can see other Tampa Bay players and assistants in awe of the situation as they walked by in footage of the event.
The Buccaneers fell to 3-4 as the Panthers advanced to 2-5 with the win over Evans and Tom Brady. Evans led the Bucs with nine receptions for 96 yards
