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The NFL announced Tuesday that it determined officials Jeff Lamberth and Tripp Sutter did not ask Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans for an autograph following the Bucs' 21-3 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
Tom Pelissero @TomPelisseroStatement from the NFL saying it has spoken with the officials involved in the postgame interaction with Mike Evans and confirmed they were not, in fact, asking for an autograph. <a href="https://t.co/UQGJMFvhqp">https://t.co/UQGJMFvhqp</a> <a href="https://t.co/DJZ24up1wL">pic.twitter.com/DJZ24up1wL</a>
The league launched an investigation into Lamberth and Sutter after video surfaced of the referees interacting with Evans in the tunnel after the game.
Lamberth and Sutter appeared to hand Evans a piece of paper, and it looked as though Evans wrote something on it.
The NFL's collective bargaining agreement does not permit NFL officials to seek autographs from players, coaches and other team personnel.
Pro Football Talk asked the NFL to elaborate on what the interaction was about, and the league responded, "We won't have any further comment."
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero later followed up, reporting that Evans was giving Lamberth his phone number to pass along to a golf pro for golf lessons. Evans and Lamberth both attended Texas A&M.
While the league found no evidence that the officials asked Evans for an autograph, it noted in the statement that the referees were "reminded of the importance of avoiding even the appearance of impropriety."
The interaction occurred after a bitterly disappointing loss for the Bucs, as they could not muster a touchdown against a team that entered the day as the worst in the NFL with a 1-5 record.
Tampa fell to 3-4, its worst start since quarterback Tom Brady arrived two years ago.
Evans finished with nine receptions for 96 yards Sunday, but he had a tough game overall, as he dropped what would have been a walk-in touchdown on a bomb from Brady in the first quarter.
It was an uncharacteristic miscue from the 29-year-old Evans, who has been among the top wideouts in the league since the Buccaneers made him the No. 7 overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft out of Texas A&M.
Evans is the only wide receiver in NFL history to finish with at least 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first eight seasons, and he is on pace to cross that threshold again this season with 454 yards through six games.
The 6'5" target has also finished with double-digit touchdown catches four times in his career, including last season when he hauled in a career-high 14 touchdowns.
All told, Evans has 639 receptions for 9,755 yards and 78 touchdowns in 128 regular-season games. He is also a four-time Pro Bowler and won the Super Bowl two years ago, meaning he may one day be in line for a Hall of Fame induction.
