Muhammad Ali, the greatest, died today. A lot of Tampa Bay Buccaneers players paid tribute to him on their social media pages, on Twitter, on Instagram, on Snapchat, but one player talked to the Tampa Bay Times about their love for the legendary boxer. Evans had a lot to say about Ali, his activism, his trash-talking (which he loved), and the motivation he offered.
Apparently, Evans watches the above video before every game. And apparently, he got a tattoo of Ali's most well-known photo last month.
"Ironically enough, I got the tattoo like a month ago. Everybody knows that picture. It's one of the most famous pictures in sports history, from when he knocked out Sonny Liston. I liked that picture. It means something to me. He had that fire in him, that will to be the best and stand up for a cause. I had seen a shirt -- my tattoo artist was wearing a shirt one day and I was like 'Man, I want that tattoo.' He did it for me. It was ironic for me that he passed and I just got that."
Mike Evans had a few too many drops last year, though the extent of those drops was sometimes exaggerated, and some folks turned that into him being lazy and not caring about the game, as if poor performances only happen when you fail to care. But anyone who's watched Evans argue with referees and celebrate after a catch would be deluding themselves to say he doesn't care -- and that's what he loved about Muhammad Ali, too. The fire.