Fans were not happy with the commentary from Joe Buck and Troy Aikman after Mike Evans suffered a concussion on Monday night.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver took a nasty spill midway through the second quarter of his team’s “Monday Night Football” matchup against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich. Evans’ shoulder and head slammed hard into the ground, leaving him dazed for several minutes (video here).
Evans’ injury was very clearly from his shoulders up, with a wicked head snap instantly indicating to most folks at home that he may be dealing with a head injury. But Buck and Aikman sounded like they had never seen a player possibly get concussed before.
Buck: “And Evans is on the turf.”
Aikman: “He’s been dealing with that hamstring, and he had to open it up to try to run his ball down.”
Buck: “He made the grab, and the ball comes out in the end.”
Aikman: “Just at the end, and the reason it came out is due to whatever the injury was, it appears. Because he has it, but whatever he injured, you see immediately, he just rolls over.”
Prayers for Mike Evans after this #concussion & shoulder injury.
Worth listening to the broadcasters strain to avoid suggesting a possible concussion.
Gentlemen. hamstring & shoulder injuries don't make you lie COMPLETELY still like you are unconscious… pic.twitter.com/Q1ggTv8Tby
— Chris Nowinski, Ph.D. (@ChrisNowinski1) October 21, 2025
Fans were not happy with the way Buck and Aikman handled the call on Evans’ injury. Many accused them of trying to cover up the possibility of the veteran getting concussed.
Joe Buck and Troy Aikman seeing Mike Evans clearly hit his head on the ground before going limp and losing the catch but saying his injury “could be anything” is really some wild propaganda
— Rob Lopez (@r0bato) October 21, 2025
joe buck and troy aikman being completely oblivious that mike evans hit his head on the turf hard asf and is concussed is hilarious
— Noah (@noahitzki) October 21, 2025
Are Joe Buck and Troy Aikman not allowed to acknowledge head injuries? How can you say Evans injury could be anything when he clearly went unconscious after hitting his head on the turf.
That should be ruled a catch BTW. He 100% holds onto that if he doesn’t slam his head.
— Brendan Ziegler (@BAZiegler) October 21, 2025
Mike Evans obviously concussed, clearly knocked clean out on the field for 30 seconds.
Joe Buck: “And who knows what the injury is”
Troy Aikman: “It really could be anything”
— Huey Jewish and the Jews 🏴☠️ (@CursinDaily) October 21, 2025
Evans was carted off the field, and, true enough, was later diagnosed with a concussion on top of a shoulder injury. He left the game without a catch on four targets and did not return.
Part of the announcers’ job is to educate the viewers on what is happening on the field. Aikman, more than most announcers, has plenty of expertise dealing with injuries and hard hits throughout his Hall of Fame career in the 90s. But fans seemed to think the pair was purposely turning a blind eye on Monday night.