The Tampa Bay Buccaneers released safety Shilo Sanders on Sunday morning, just hours after his ejection from a preseason Week 3 game against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday night.
Shilo Sanders got into an altercation with Zach Davidson.(Getty Images/ AFP) What happened on Saturday night?
The altercation occurred in the second quarter when Sanders was engaged in a play with Bills tight end Zach Davidson. After the whistle, Davidson continued to block Sanders aggressively downfield. Tensions escalated, and as officials intervened, Sanders threw a punch at Davidson’s head. This led to his immediate ejection from the game.
Zach Davidson breaks silence
Following the game, Zach Davidson commented on the exchange: “I was just chasing a far-deep DB and trying to finish through the whistle and he had a little bit more to say.”
While Davidson refrained from retaliating physically, he gestured the “too small” taunt toward Sanders.
“I didn’t say anything,” he added. “I may have gestured something but if you get mad for getting blocked, I can’t really control what else he does.”
Coach Bowles reacts
Bucs head coach Todd Bowles addressed the incident, calling Sanders’ actions unacceptable.
“You can’t throw punches in this league — that’s inexcusable,” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said. “They’re going to get you every time. You’ve got to grow from that.
Sanders released
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that Tampa Bay informed Shilo Sanders on Sunday morning he was being released and would not be part of the team’s final 53-man roster.
However, the decision may not be the end of Sanders’ time in Tampa.
Despite the altercation, the Buccaneers reportedly held Sanders in high regard during his time with the team.
According to Mike Florio of NBC’s ProFootballTalk, Tampa Bay appreciated Sanders’ attitude and professionalism.
“We’re told that the Buccaneers enjoyed having Shilo in the building, viewing the son of Deion Sanders as a good kid, who was at all times respectful to everyone. Shilo was also immediately remorseful following the incident that disqualified him from the second quarter of the game against the Bills,” Florio said.
“Sanders could, in theory, sign with the Bucs’ practice squad, after clearing waivers,” Florio added. “The bigger question is whether he’s good enough to compete and to play at the NFL level.”