The league has a 300-page rulebook that is drilled into the officials' brains. Which is why we know that the two officials were caught on video trying to get an autograph from Evans.
Two officials tracked down Evans for what appeared to be an autograph after the game. The league office is looking into the videos taken by Sheena Quick of FOX Sports Radio 1340, according to the NFL Network.
There is no confirmation that Evans was asked to sign an autograph, but the investigation by the NFL shows that this was not a normal action for officials.
If that is the case, an official should not be autograph-seeking in the middle of the tunnel. There is a suspicion that the league would rather avoid fraternization with players. Gathering Evans didn't lead to a win for the Bucs as they were upset by the panthers. Evans dropped a touchdown and Tom Brady wasn't very good, but it doesn't break the professional boundaries of the league.
Evans didn't think twice when he asked who to ask, because he knew who to ask in his 21st season as an official. Several onlookers looked at the exchange while they went back to the locker room. It didn't seem like an impromptu signing. The appearance that the officials had discussed something with Evans before entering the tunnel is due to the fact that the officials spot Evans, call his name, get him to sign, and walk away after less than 15 seconds.
The precedent for violating the non- autograph offense is well-known, and this incident is very upsetting. The game official Jerry Bergman messed around and found it before the 1995 game. Bergman, a 30-year-veteran official, tried to get a autograph from the quarterback for his grandson. I am not sure if it was worse that he went looking for him or that he was trying to get the players to play. According to reports, Bergman asked for autographs from the two players. In the fourth quarter, he was ejected for his part in a fight. Bergman didn't work another NFL sideline again after he was fined and disciplined.
Even though Bergman is the only official punished for autograph-seeking on the job, he wasn't the first one to ask. In the 30 years since an example was made of Bergman, no officials have been caught because they haven't been irresponsible enough to ask for it.
Look at them. It is amateurish to shout out Mike in the tunnel and then ask Evans to sign your paper. They are just as excited for Mike Lynn Evans III. You must be crazy. It's incredibly poor judgement for an official to risk his six-figure salary for an autograph from someone who just dropped a potential 75-yard touchdown with 11 yards of separation between him and the nearest corner. Tom Brady has fallen. There are two things officials can learn from this. Don't risk your job for someone who isn't in the top 20. You would have to do it in a different way. Will the National Football League keep their jobs or not?
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