Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans was involved in a scary situation Monday night.
Facing the Detroit Lions on “Monday Night Football,” late in the second quarter and down 14-0, Evans was taken out of the game after suffering what was ruled a shoulder injury and a concussion while attempting to catch a deep pass from Baker Mayfield.
Evans crashed hard to the turf inside Ford Field and remained on the ground for several minutes before medical staff came to his aid. At first, it was unclear what had happened to the receiver — even ESPN’s Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, who were calling the game, couldn’t tell.
“Whatever he injured ... you see immediately he just rolls over,” Aikman said.
However, neuroscientist and Concussion Legacy Foundation co-founder Chris Nowinski believes the ESPN broadcast crew was intentionally avoiding mention of a concussion.
“Prayers for Mike Evans after this concussion & shoulder injury,” Nowinski wrote on X. “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…”
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
To be fair, this was Evans’ return after missing the last three games with a hamstring injury. Buck and Aikman were likely hesitant to speculate before an official update was given.
After Tampa Bay’s 24-9 loss to the Lions, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles told reporters that Evans will likely miss the remainder of the season with a broken clavicle.
“He’ll be out mostly toward the end of the year,” Bowles said, via FOX’s Greg Auman. “We’ll see what happens.”
Who is Chris Nowinski?
Nowinski has long been one of the leading voices in concussion awareness and brain injury prevention across sports. As co-founder of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, he’s been at the forefront of research on football-related head trauma and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
A former Harvard football player, Nowinski later joined the WWE, where a kick to the chin ended his wrestling career and led him to begin studying the long-term effects of concussions. His work has since influenced major changes in sports concussion protocols at both the professional and collegiate levels.