NFL official's son scoffs at conspiracy theories around Mike Evans' suspension: 'He was just doing his job'

close

Video

Fox News Flash top headlines for September 22

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

Mike Evans will not be taking the field for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when they play the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

Evans was suspended for one game for his role in a brawl with New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore in their Week 2 matchup. Evans appealed, but the suspension was upheld.

Jon Runyan, the NFL’s vice president of football operations, said in a news release Evans was suspended for violating the league’s rules regarding unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore, #23, and safety Marcus Maye, #6, get into a scuffle with Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans, #13, and they are ejected after the play during the second half at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans Sept. 18, 2022. (Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports)

"After a play had ended, you were walking toward your sidelines. When you noticed your teammates engaged in a confrontation with Saints’ players, you ran toward that area on the field and violently threw your body into and struck an unsuspecting opponent who was part of that confrontation. You knocked your opponent to the ground and a melee ensued involving players from both teams. Your aggressive conduct could have caused serious injury to your opponent and clearly does not reflect the high standards of sportsmanship expected of a professional," Runyan wrote in his letter to Evans.

However, Runyan’s letter to Evans did little to quell any conspiracy theories about the suspension as Runyan’s son plays for Green Bay.

Jon Runyan Jr. shot down any notion there was something else at play.

TOM BRADY PANS MIKE EVANS SUSPENSION FOR FIGHT IN BUCS-SAINTS GAME: 'I THINK THAT’S RIDICULOUS'

Green Bay Packers guard Jon Runyan Jr. in the second half of an NFL preseason game between the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs on Aug. 25, 2022 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

"He was just doing his job. He's been doing that job for over a half-decade now. It just so happens that we're playing the Buccaneers this week. Everybody's trying to make it this conspiracy theory, which it's not," he said, via ESPN.

James Thrash was the appeal officer who upheld the suspension.

"My dad's doing his job," Runyan Jr. added. "[It was a] lapse in judgment on the field. Sometimes, that stuff happens. There's a whole conspiracy theory going down, and it's not true. That's just how it goes. You can't be running 15 yards trying to head-hunt somebody when the play's over. It is funny, though, how stuff works out sometimes."

Runyan Jr., an offensive lineman, was a sixth-round draft pick by the Packers in 2020. He played collegiate football at Michigan.

Mike Evans, #13 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, looks on before kickoff against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on Sept. 11, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Runyan Sr. has been the NFL’s vice president of football operations since 2016. He was a Pro Bowler in 2002 and spent most of his time with the Philadelphia Eagles. He also played for the Houston Oilers, Tennessee Oilers/Titans and the San Diego Chargers.