The NFL has suspended Buffalo Bills safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson for one game without pay after cameras captured him spitting toward Las Vegas Raiders players on Sunday.
The league said in a statement that Gardner-Johnson violated Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1, which applies to "any act which is contrary to the generally understood principles of sportsmanship."
Barring an appeal, Gardner-Johnson will miss the Bills' Week 8 game against the Baltimore Ravens. Buffalo is on a bye this week. Any appeal would be heard by Derrick Brooks, Jordy Nelson, Ron Rivera or James Thrash, who are jointly appointed and paid by the NFL and the NFL Players Association.
Bills coach Joe Brady said Monday there'll be no further punishment for Gardner-Johnson beyond the league's suspension. Brady remained committed to Gardner-Johnson as a starter when he's eligible to return from suspension in Week 9.
"C.J. knows that it's hard enough to win in this league with 48 guys, much less 47. He knows that that can't happen. It's inexcusable. That's not the standard that we're going to have and play with. He's addressed it. It's been addressed. The league came down with the suspension. ... We want to toe the line with everything we do but we can't cross the line."
Brady preferred to keep the conversations between he, Gardner-Johnson and the team private. Even given Gardner-Johnson's reputation for toeing and crossing the line, Brady said he has no problem with Gardner-Johnson's personality or character fit within the organization, saying he doesn't need all of his players to behave in one prescribed way.
"We brought him here for a reason," Brady added. "He knows he has to play better, and he knows he has to be better for this team. Just like everybody else we've got to learn from this stuff, and we have to improve and find ways to get better as the season goes."
Gardner-Johnson was ejected from Sunday's game after spitting in the direction of Raiders tight end Brock Bowers and center Tyler Linderbaum shortly before halftime. He apologized to his teammates after the Bills' 33-30 victory and said he needed to be a better veteran moving forward.
The incident came after a play in which Gardner-Johnson and Bowers jawed, but Gardner-Johnson said there wasn't a specific incitement that sparked the flagrant act.
"We were just arguing and talking," Gardner-Johnson told reporters. "It was nothing negative. He ain't do nothing to me. It was just in the heat of the game arguing and talking s---. That gesture isn't warranted."
Said Bowers: "I don't even know. Just talking a little bit and then ... I don't know."
Later Sunday, in a social media post, Gardner-Johnson formally apologized "to my opponent, my teammates, my organization, and everyone who supports me."
"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 toward my opponent was inappropriate, unnecessary, and not a reflection of the respect I have for him or this game."
Referee Shawn Smith said via a pool report that umpire Tra Blake witnessed Gardner-Johnson spit toward Bowers, triggering his ejection. This was the second time in two weeks that Gardner-Johnson registered a 15-yard penalty and the first time he had been ejected from a game since 2024.