2017 sideline blindside (Evans hits Lattimore)

On Nov. 5, 2017 during a regular-season meeting between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints, an on-field shove from Marshon Lattimore to Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston precipitated an off-sideline escalation. Mike Evans ran from the Buccaneers’ sideline onto the playing field and made a blindside hit on rookie cornerback Marshon Lattimore after the altercation involving the quarterback; the incident was captured on video and widely reported the following day [5]. The NFL reviewed the sequence and determined Evans' actions violated league rules governing sideline conduct, issuing a one-game suspension and describing the behavior as unprofessional [5]. Immediate reactions included Evans acknowledging his role and apologizing publicly: "I let my emotions get the best of me... It was very childish. I shouldn't have done that. Unprofessional." That apology was reported as part of the league's disciplinary aftermath and framed Evans' justification as an emotional response tied to protecting a teammate (the quarterback) [5]. Media outlets replayed the sideline video in subsequent coverage, establishing the Nov. 5 hit as the origin incident in the documented pattern between Evans and Lattimore [5][7].

The Nov. 5, 2017 blindside converted routine in-game contact into a league-level disciplinary action and publicly established a personal pattern between Mike Evans and Marshon Lattimore. The one-game suspension signaled that sideline involvement and off-field runs onto the playing surface would draw severe consequences from the NFL, and it created a documented precedent reporters and league reviewers referenced in later meetings between the two players [5]. The incident is the first documented episode in a three-incident sequence that includes 2020 and 2022 confrontations, and it framed subsequent encounters with heightened attention from officials and media [5][6].

The NFL imposed a one-game suspension on Mike Evans following the Nov. 5, 2017 incident, and Evans issued a public apology accepting responsibility for letting his emotions escalate the situation [5]. The episode entered the public record via replayed video and reporting, which ensured later meetings between Evans and Lattimore were viewed through the lens of this prior suspension. There is no public record in mainstream reporting of private reconciliation between the players following the 2017 event; subsequent regular-season meetings produced further incidents (2020 fine, 2022 brawl) that referenced the 2017 blindside as the origin point in the rivalry [2][1][3].