Bills' C.J. Gardner-Johnson ejected for spitting at Raiders tight end Brock Bowers

Buffalo Bills safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was ejected on Sunday for spitting at Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers.

The incident took place late in the second quarter. Gardner-Johnson and Bowers exchanged words in between plays. A game official intervened and quickly threw a flag and announced Gardner-Johnson's ejection.

It wasn't immediately clear on the game broadcast what prompted the ejection. But slow-motion replay showed that Gardner-Johnson spit at Bowers as Bowers had his back turned.

The Bills held a 13-10 lead at the time of the incident. The unsportsmanlike conduct penalty moved the Raiders from Buffalo's 29-yard line to the 14 with 15 seconds remaining before halftime. Las Vegas ended up kicking a field goal before halftime to tie the game at 13-13.

The ejection is the second of Gardner-Johnson's NFL career. He was previously tossed from a 2024 game against the Washington Commanders while playing for the Philadelphia Eagles.

In that instance, Gardner-Johnson got called for his second unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for taunting, leading to his automatic Johnson. As he left the field, he flipped off the Washington crowd with both hands.

The spitting incident is the second in the NFL since last season that led to an ejection. In the 2025 season opener between the Eagles and Cowboys, Philadelphia defensive lineman Jalen Carter spit on Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott before the first snap of the game.

Carter was ejected without playing a down. He was not, however, suspended. The NFL fined Carter $57,222 for the incident , and his ejection from the Cowboys game before it started reportedly served as a one-game suspension in the NFL's eyes.

The NFL will certainly take another look at Gardner-Johnson's incident, and a suspension could be on the table for the Buffalo safety.