VIDEO: Referees Appear to Ask Bucs Mike Evans for Postgame Autograph

A postgame video from Sunday appears to show an NFL referee asking Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans for an autograph.

The video, shot by Panthers reporter Sheena Quick, shows an NFL official hurrying to catch up to Evans as he makes his way into the tunnel following Tampa’s 21-3 loss to Carolina.

After conversing briefly with Evans, the refs appear to hand him a pen and paper, and Evans begins jotting something down.

I didn’t know refs get autographs after the game. pic.twitter.com/4IgUHIiAgz

— Sheena Quick (@Sheena_Marie3) October 23, 2022

Eek. pic.twitter.com/tduGSEYzuk

— Sheena Quick (@Sheena_Marie3) October 23, 2022

The referees involved are side judge Jeff Lamberth and line judge Tripp Sutter, according to USA Today.

Fans on Twitter were less than amused with the scene.

Damn bruh. They don’t evm try to hide it. https://t.co/Q84h4evBxf

— Hurricane ALCS⚾️ #RepBX Hugo (@JHugo13) October 23, 2022

Wow, @NFLOfficiating, this is allowed? The biggest surprise here is that it wasn’t Brady…. https://t.co/sWKa2kVNzC

— Bo Smolka (@bsmolka) October 24, 2022

Maybe just getting paycheck signed https://t.co/aAkizljbya

— Sriram Rajagopalan (@imSriram03) October 23, 2022

Though, if Evans had been signing a check as the above tweet suggests (he wasn’t), his money was not well spent. The Bucs were never really competitive in this game, losing 21-3. Tampa was also penalized four times as opposed to three for the Panthers.

Does it look bad? Sure.

But it doesn’t mean the refs are altering their calls, either.