Overview
- Gardner-Johnson was ejected late in the first half of the Week 6 game at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday after replay on the CBS broadcast showed him spitting in the direction of Raiders tight end Brock Bowers.
- Officials assessed a 14-yard unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty that moved the ball closer and allowed Matt Gay to kick a 27-yard field goal that tied the game at halftime.
- The league has opened a disciplinary review and could impose a one-game suspension or a fine based on its 2025 policy that treated on-field spitting as grounds for missing a game.
- Reporters and analysts pointed to Gardner-Johnson’s long history of fines (about $195,000) and a prior ejection in December 2024 as factors that increase the chance of harsher discipline and roster consequences.
- The Bills finished the game without Gardner-Johnson and inserted Damar Hamlin into the secondary, and the team will face public and internal pressure during its upcoming bye week as the NFL finalizes any punishment.