CJ Gardner-Johnson has a history of bad behavior on the football field. Gardner-Johnson has been fined many times throughout his NFL career for dirty hits and chippy play that crossed the line, and he was also ejected from a game in 2024 with the Philadelphia Eagles for two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. Gardner-Johnson signed with the Buffalo Bills over the offseason, and he was booted from the team’s Week 6 game against the Las Vegas Raiders after an inappropriate interaction with Brock Bowers.
Gardner-Johnson and Bowers were jawing after a play, and the Bills defensive back spit at him as he headed back into the huddle. That’s a big no-no in the NFL, and the refs ejected Gardner-Johnson with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
What happened to having respect for your opponents? Watch the video of Gardner-Johnson spitting on Bowers here:
Here’s a closer look at the spitting moment:
The Bills went on to beat the Raiders, 33-30, to improve to 5-1 on the year. After the game, Gardner-Johnson spoke to the media an showed remorse for spitting on Bowers.
“I gotta be a better player,” Gardner-Johnson said. I gotta be a better vet. I let my emotions get above, and I hurt my team. I gotta do better.”
The refs admitted that he was ejected for spitting in the pool report after the game.
Football is a violence, collision-based game, but players on both sides still need to have respect for each other. Gardner-Johnson is far from a star, but he can be a good player in his role when he has his head on straight. Hopefully this ejection teaches him a lesson, but I doubt it.