Buffalo Bills safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson apologized to his teammates after getting ejected just before halftime of Buffalo's 33-30 win over the Las Vegas Raiders for spitting on an opponent, and he says he'll accept whatever punishment the NFL decides to hand down. The 27-year-old defensive back called his own conduct a letdown for the team he joined just months ago on a one-year contract.
According to the Eagle-Tribune, referee Shawn Smith explained that two players were jawing back and forth before an umpire witnessed Gardner-Johnson spitting on the opponent, which prompted the ejection. The league's officiating department in New York confirmed the disqualification. Gardner-Johnson acknowledged that he let his emotions get the better of him and hurt his team in the process. “I need to be a better player and a better veteran,” he said, per the same report.
A Pattern That Keeps Repeating
A Pattern That Keeps Repeating This isn't the first time Gardner-Johnson has been ejected — he was ejected from a 2024 game against Washington after two unsportsmanlike-conduct penalties. The Eagle-Tribune notes he has been fined numerous times across his career but had never been suspended before this incident. He's now on his seventh NFL team in eight seasons, and had also been unable to catch on with Baltimore.
San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk weighed in publicly after watching the ejection unfold, saying it was the least surprising thing ever. Juszczyk said Gardner-Johnson had spat on him the previous year when their teams played Chicago. On the Raiders' side, coach Klint Kubiak praised his players for not retaliating, saying they had been warned ahead of time about the possibility of a confrontation.
League Precedent Looms Large
League Precedent Looms Large How the NFL handles Gardner-Johnson's ejection carries weight because of a precedent the league set just over a year earlier. In September 2025, the NFL fined Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter $57,222 for spitting on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, according to CBS News, and treated his pre-snap Week 1 ejection as time served — effectively establishing spitting as a one-game-suspension offense.
The late-second-quarter ejection leaves open the possibility of further league discipline.
A Costly History of Fines
A Costly History of Fines Gardner-Johnson has a history of NFL fines. He was ejected from a 2024 game against Washington after two unsportsmanlike-conduct penalties.
Just before his latest ejection, the league fined him $11,194 for an unflagged hip-drop tackle on Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs, according to Sports Illustrated. Hoodline reported that Gardner-Johnson had also drawn a second-quarter unnecessary roughness penalty during Buffalo's earlier game against the Rams, just days before the Raiders ejection.
Coach Brady Addresses Team Discipline
Bills coach Joe Brady said the incident reflected poorly on his team and that Buffalo's discipline needs to improve. He said he had not personally reviewed video of the spitting incident but that officials told him the violation was clear. Brady added that the matter would be addressed internally, but that the team remains more important than any one moment.
Gardner-Johnson said he has already spoken with coaches and apologized to his teammates, telling reporters he would accept any punishment that comes down — whether that's a fine or a league suspension. The latest disciplinary cloud now hangs over a defensive back whose talent has rarely been in question, even as his list of infractions keeps growing.
