Shannon Sharpe blames Tom Brady for escalating Mike Evans and Marshon Lattimore's violent fight

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans was quick to protect his quarterback Tom Brady on Sunday afternoon. New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore got into a verbal altercation with Brady and running back Leonard Fournette. Evans, who had already approached the sidelines, ran back onto the field and threw Lattimore to the ground. His actions then caused benches to clear as players from both sidelines became involved.

This week on FOX's "Undisputed" Hall of Famer, Shannon Sharpe expressed his feelings on the situation. Sharpe said that he felt that Tom Brady was the one who escalated the fight. Saying that he knew if he was in an altercation with Lattimore, that his teammates would be quick to defend his honor.

"You can't say, "That was Tom Brady". Tom Brady was at fault because he escalated it. There was a reason why Tom was throwing iPads, there was a a reason why he was cursing Skip because of the guys he was throwing to. So, when you put your guy in harm's way, you know he's going to come defend you because you're Tom Brady."

Sharpe then went on to say that the wideout was already dealing with a calf injury that he suffered in Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys. It's probably not the best idea for someone who is already dealing with an injury.

Both Lattimore and Evans were penalized for unnnceccasy roughness and were ejected from the game.

Did Bucs WR Mike Evans get suspended for his role in the fight?

On Monday afternoon, the National Football League announced that Mike Evans would be suspended for one game. The wide receiver was the lone suspension from the fight, with the NFL saying that fines would also be handed out. While the fines weren't stated at the time, it's expected that Marshon Lattimore will be fined for his part as well.

Evans did appeal the suspension, but on Wednesday, the NFL denied the appeal. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tom Brady will now be without their number one offensive weapon this week against the Green Bay Packers. The wide receiver has been suspended in the past for an altercation with Lattimore and the league is clearly making a statement that this behavior won't be tolerated.

The suspension comes at a crucial time for the Buccaneers, who already have injuries in the wide receiving room. Both Chris Godwin and Julio Jones missed Sunday's game and are unlikely to suit up this week. As the Bucs prepare to host the Green Bay Packers this week, the team signed veteran wide receiver Cole Beasley to the practice squad in hopes of him playing this week.