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Buffalo safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson said he expects a fine or other punishment from the league following his ejection for spitting during the Bills’ 33-30 win over the host Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
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Gardner-Johnson was assessed an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty and disqualified after spitting in the direction of Raiders tight end Brock Bowers and center Tyler Linderbaum late in the first half and the Bills leading 13-10.
“I let my emotions get above me and I hurt my team,” Gardner-Johnson told reporters after the game without confirming or denying that he spit at Bowers. “I got to do better and control my emotions.”
Gardner-Johnson and Bowers were jawing at each other after an incomplete pass from Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins to receiver Tre Tucker with 19 seconds left before halftime. Buffalo cornerback Davison Igbinosun was called for defensive holding on the play.
Bowers had turned his back to go to the huddle when Gardner-Johnson was shown on CBS cameras spitting in the tight end’s direction.
“We were just arguing and talking,” Gardner-Johnson, 28, told reporters. “It was nothing negative. He ain’t do nothing to me. It was just in the heat of the game arguing. … That gesture isn’t warranted.”
When asked about the incident, Bowers said, “Just talking a little bit and then … I don’t know.”
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Umpire Tra Blake saw Gardner-Johnson spit toward Bowers, referee Shawn Smith said via a pool report after the game.
Buffalo coach Joe Brady asked Gardner-Johnson to apologize to his teammates for the incident, the player confirmed, and he said he did after the game. Gardner-Johnson said he has “got to be a better teammate, a better vet and keep pushing.”
Gardner-Johnson was ejected following two unsportsmanlike-conduct penalties while playing for the Philadelphia Eagles during a 36-33 loss to the Washington Commanders on Dec. 22, 2024.
He has 396 tackles, 21 interceptions, 57 passes defended and seven sacks in 93 regular-season games (77 starts) with the New Orleans Saints (2019-21), Eagles (2022, 2024), Detroit Lions (2023), Houston Texans (2025), Chicago Bears (2025) and Bills.
He won a Super Bowl with the Eagles in the 2024 season and has 55 tackles and one interception in 14 playoff games (11 starts) since 2019.
The New Orleans Saints selected Gardner-Johnson in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft out of Florida.
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