Bills safety Gardner-Johnson suspended for spitting

Key points

• Bills safety CJ Gardner-Johnson was suspended one game without pay for spitting toward Raiders players.
• He was ejected in the second quarter of Buffalo's 33-30 win on Sunday.
• The suspension runs October 26 to November 2, and he can appeal.

Buffalo Bills safety CJ Gardner-Johnson has been suspended for one game without pay after spitting in the direction of Las Vegas Raiders players during Sunday's game, the NFL said. He was ejected late in the second quarter for unsportsmanlike conduct after an exchange with a group of Raiders players, including tight end Brock Bowers.

In announcing the suspension, the NFL cited its rule covering "any act which is contrary to the generally understood principles of sportsmanship". Buffalo is 5-1 and enters its bye week, so the suspension begins on October 26 and runs through November 2, the day after the Bills host the Baltimore Ravens. Gardner-Johnson has the right to appeal.

Player apologises after win

Gardner-Johnson apologised to his team-mates right after Buffalo's 33-30 win and posted a note on social media apologising to fans. "I owe my team-mates an apology and to be a man about it," he said after the game, adding that as a veteran he would be better and accept the consequences.

The 28-year-old won a Super Bowl with the 2024 Philadelphia Eagles and is on his sixth team in eight seasons. He signed a one-year contract with Buffalo in March.

I owe my team-mates an apology and to be a man about it

— CJ Gardner-Johnson

Coach calls act inexcusable

Coach Joe Brady called the spitting "inexcusable" and said he had discussed it privately with the player. "It can't happen. That's not what we're about," Brady said, adding that Gardner-Johnson knows it and that it will not happen again.

Brady said Gardner-Johnson arrived with a reputation as a noted trash-talker who has sometimes crossed the line with illegal hits, but that he is not afraid to have players who toe the line.