The NFL suspended Buffalo Bills safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson one game without pay Monday for spitting at an opponent during Sunday’s win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
“Bills safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson is being suspended one game after cameras captured him spitting at Raiders TE Brock Bowers,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on Monday.
The league confirmed the punishment in a statement shared by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
“From the NFL: Bills safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson has been suspended without pay for one game for an act of unsportsmanlike conduct during Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders,” Rapoport posted.
“During the second quarter, Gardner-Johnson spit at an opponent, violating Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1, which applies to ‘any act which is contrary to the generally understood principles of sportsmanship.’ Gardner-Johnson’s suspension begins on Monday, October 26. He will be eligible to return to the Bills’ active roster on Monday, November 2, following the team’s November 1 game against the Baltimore Ravens.”
The Bills are on a bye in Week 7, so Gardner-Johnson will miss only the Week 8 matchup against Baltimore. He can appeal under the collective bargaining agreement, with any hearing handled by one of the jointly appointed officers: Derrick Brooks, Jordy Nelson, Ron Rivera or James Thrash.
Officials ejected Gardner-Johnson late in the second quarter after umpire Tra Blake saw him spit toward Bowers following a verbal exchange, referee Shawn Smith said in a postgame pool report. The play occurred with 19 seconds left in the half after an incomplete pass, and the resulting 15-yard penalty helped set up a Raiders field goal that tied the game at 13.
Buffalo went on to win 33-30 and improved to 5-1.
Gardner-Johnson posted a lengthy apology on his Instagram stories Sunday night.
“My passion and competitive nature have always been a huge part of who I am, but I also understand that there is a line that should never be crossed,” he wrote. “The gesture I made towards my opponent was inappropriate, unnecessary, and not a reflection of the respect I have for him or this game … one moment does not define my character.”
After the game he told reporters, “I gotta be a better player. I gotta be a better vet. I let my emotions get above me and I hurt my team.”
This is the second ejection of Gardner-Johnson’s career. He was tossed from a 2024 game with the Philadelphia Eagles after drawing two unsportsmanlike-conduct penalties against the Washington Commanders. He is on his seventh team in eight NFL seasons, with previous stops including the New Orleans Saints, two stints with the Eagles, the Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens and Chicago Bears.
He entered the season having been fined roughly 13 times for nearly $195,000 across taunting, late hits, roughing the passer and other penalties. The Bills have already been assessed two $11,194 fines against him this year, one for a hip-drop tackle in Week 2 and another for striking/kicking/kneeing in Week 5. The suspension is expected to cost him about $109,166 from his one-year deal worth up to $6 million.
San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk reacted on X after Sunday’s incident by saying it was not the first time.
“This is the least surprising thing ever,” Juszczyk wrote. “[@CGJXXIII] spit on me last year when we beat Chicago.”
Similar spitting incidents involving Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter in 2025 and Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase later that season also produced one-game suspensions under the league’s updated standard for the act.
Gardner-Johnson has started all six games he has played for Buffalo this season and recorded 26 tackles along with one interception through Week 6. His absence against the Ravens is expected to open more snaps for Damar Hamlin and others in the secondary.
